tihxavy  of  Che  trheolo^ical  ^mxmry 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

Mr.  Charles  Cruser 


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The  Harp  of  God 


A  text-book  for  Bible  study  specially 
adapted  for  use  of  beginners;  with  numerous 
questions  and  Scripture  citations 


By  J.  R  Rutherford 

Author  of 


Creation 
Deliverance 
Where  are  the  Dead? 
Comfort  for  the  Jews 
Our  Lord's  Return 
HeU 
etc 


5,595,500  Edition 


Ptiblishers 

International  Bible  Students  Association 
Watch  Tower  Bible  and  Tract  Society 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  U.S.A. 

Also 

London.  Toronto,  Melbourne.  Cape  Town.  Berne,  Magdeburg,  etc. 


To  the  invisible  King  of  Glory  now  present 
in  the  interest  of 

the  generation  now  on  earth  who 
wlU  become  his  loyal  subjects 

this  book  is  dedicated 


*7  charge  thee  therefore  before  God,  md  the 
Lord  Jestis  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the 
quick  and  the  dead  at  his  appearing 
and  his  kingdoin,'*  —  2  Tim.  4 : 1. 


Copyrighted  1921  by 
Peoples  Pulpit  Association 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A. 

Made  in  U.  S.  A. 


1928 


Preface 


There  is  need  of  a  text-book  for  beginners  In  Bible  study. 
This  book  is  intended  to  meet  that  long-felt  want.  The 
subject  matter  is  arranged  progressively  and  orderly.  A 
list  of  questions  follows  each  point  discussed,  thus  enabling 
the  teacher  to  direct  the  mind  of  the  student  to  the  subject 
under  consideration.  The  numeral  following  each  question 
refers  to  the  paragraph  of  the  text  where  the  answer  may 
be  found,  each  paragraph  being  numbered  to  correspond. 

Jehovah  had  a  great  plan  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world;  but  no  one  knew  about  it.  During  the  first  four 
thousand  years  of  man's  history  God's  plan  was  kept  a 
secret.  He  began  to  reveal  it  to  man  nearly  nineteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  and  then  only  to  those  who  have  consecrated 
to  do  his  will.  Promise  was  made  that  greater  light  should 
come  at  the  end  of  the  age,  and  this  promise  has  been  kept. 
We  are  at  that  time,  as  is  clearly  proven  by  the  contents 
herein.  This  book  points  out  the  salient  features  of  the 
divine  plan,  which  plan  is  both  orderly  and  progressive. 

People  generally  have  not  been  thoroughly  instructed  in 
the  Bible.  Even  those  who  have  attended  the  Sunday  schools 
have  merely  learned  the  text  and  not  the  meaning  of  tlie 
text.  Like  the  prophets  of  old,  they  have  heard  but  under- 
stood not.  The  real  reason  for  these  conditions  is  that 
God's  plan  could  not  be  understood  until  his  due  time  to 
reveal  it.  His  due  time  is  here. 

Because  of  the  dispensational  change  taking  place  at  this 
time,  Bible  study  was  never  so  important  as  now.  If  im- 
portant to  educate  the  rising  generation  in  the  things  taught 
in  our  common  schools,  with  stronger  reasoning  is  it  im- 
portant to  educate  them  concerning  that  which  is  now  being 
revealed  of  the  divine  program  for  the  uplifting  and  bless- 
ing of  mankind. 

There  is  no  disposition,  desire,  nor  attempt  to  induce  any 
one  reading  this  book  to  become  a  member  of  any  organi- 
zation, sect,  or  denomination.  The  sole  purpose  of  the  book 


Preface 


is  to  aid  honest  seekers  for  truth  in  their  endeavors  to 
understand  the  Bible,  to  learn  the  meaning  of  the  present- 
day  events,  and  to  prepare  some  at  least  to  receive  the 
blessings  that  are  soon  due  to  mankind. 

If  you  knew  that  there  was  to  be  a  radical  change  in  the 
government  for  the  better,  and  that  your  children  miglit 
have  a  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  new  government,  you 
would  be  anxious  for  them  to  acquire  all  the  knowledge 
possible  concerning  the  new  order  of  things.  The  greatest 
changes  of  the  ages  are  now  taking  place.  It  is  conceded 
by  everybody  that  these  changes  began  with  the  World 
War  and  that  they  continue.  But  what  do  they  mean?  The 
real  answer  is  that  the  old  world,  or  social  and  political 
order,  has  ended  and  is  passing  away,  and  that  a  new  and 
better  order  is  due  and  will  shortly  be  established.  Every 
parent  owes  it  to  his  child  to  instruct  him  insofar  as  possi- 
ble concerning  the  incoming  new  order  or  government.  The 
contents  of  this  book  will  start  you  in  the  right  way. 

The  subject  matter  herein  treated  is  not  discussed  at 
great  length.  The  interested  reader  is  referred  to  the 
Studies  in  the  Scriptures  and  kindred  publications  of  the 
Watch  Tower  Bible  and  Tract  Society,  wherein  these  mat- 
ters are  treated  in  greater  detail.  The  King  James  Version 
of  the  Bible  is  used  in  the  quotations,  except  as  otherwise 
indicated.  The  reader  should  consider  each  point  herein 
made  with  his  Bible  before  him,  proving  each  proposition, 
that  he  may  be  thoroughly  convinced  in  his  own  mind. 

Tlie  harp  is  an  instrument  which,  when  used  by  a  skilled 
performer,  brings  happiness  and  cheer  to  those  who  listen. 
The  harp  of  God,  when  understood  and  skilfully  used, 
brings  peace  of  mind  and  gladness  of  heart.  The  title  of 
this  book  suggests  the  thought  of  good  cheer  and  happiness. 
The  message  herein  contained,  taken  from  the  Word  of  God, 
is  sent  forth  with  the  prayer  that  it  may  be  a  blessing  to 
many,  that  it  may  cheer  some  who  are  sad,  bind  up  some 
broken  hearts,  comfort  some  that  mourn,  and  give  all  who 
earnestly  read  a  deeper  appreciation  of  Jehovah  and  the 
Savior  of  mankind. 


Brooklyn^  N,  Y.,  October  1,  1921, 


Contents 


The  Harp  of  God     11 

Creation    27 

Justice  Manifested  ,^     85 

The  Abrahamic  Promise  63 

The  Birth  of  Jesus      73 

The  Ransom  ,  115 

Resurrection       153 

]\Iystery  Revealed      185 

Our  Lord's  Return      „-  „  215 

Glorification  of  the  Church    285 

Restoration     S25 


The  Harp  of  God 

CHAPTER  I 

"7  will  incline  mine  ear  to  a  parable;  I  will  open  my 
dark  saying  upon  the  harp,** — Psalm  49:4. 

THE  harp  is  a  musical  instrument  invented  many 
centuries  ago.  When  properly  strung  and  played 
upon  it  yields  sweet  music,  making  glad  the  heart. 
The  first  mention  of  the  harp  made  in  the  Bible  is  in 
Genesis  4:  21,  and  the  inventor's  name  was  Jubal.  He 
was  therefore  called  *Hhe  father  of  all  such  as  handle 
the  harp  and  organ". 

2  It  was  1812  years  before  the  coming  of  Jesus  in 
the  flesh  that  God  organized  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel,  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  into  a  nation,  which 
nation  thereafter  was  loiown  as  the  nation  of  Israel. 
It  was  the  only  nation  with  which  God  made  a  cove- 
nant, and  he  did  not  recognize  any  other  nation  in 
the  same  way.  (Amos  3:2)  The  nation  of  Israel  was 
used  to  make  living  pictures  or  types,  foreshadowing 
better  things  to  come ;  and  those  who  study  the  Scrip- 
tural account  of  Israel's  experiences  are  able  to  ap- 
proximate closely  future  events  which  will  be  good 
for  mankind. — 1  Corinthians  10 : 1-13  ;  Hebrews  10 : 1. 

*  With  the  nation  of  Israel  the  harp  was  an  instru- 
ment consecrated  to  joy  and  exultation.  David,  who 
for  forty  years  was  king  of  Israel,  was  an  expert 
player  on  the  harp,  and  it  will  be  noted  that  in  the 
Psalms  often  the  harp  is  used  to  symbolize  or  teach 
some  great  truth.  The  Jews  used  this  instrument  on 
occasions  of  joy,  such  as  jubilees  and  festivals. 

u 


12 


The  Harp  of  God 


*  Josephus,  a  writer  of  Jewish  history,  is  authority 
for  the  statement  that  the  harp  usually  had  ten 
strings,  but  that  at  times  it  was  smaller  and  had  only 
eight  strings.  The  number  ten  is  used  in  the  Scrip- 
tures to  symbolize  that  which  is  complete  or  perfect 
as  pertaining  to  man.  We  would  understand,  then, 
that  the  harp  with  ten  strings  pictures  the  great  fun- 
damental truths  concerning  the  divine  plan.  When 
two  of  these  strings  were  absent,  there  being  only 
eight,  the  indication  is  apparently  given  that  there 
would  be  a  time  when  two  important  features  of 
the  divine  plan  would  not  be  seen  by  men.  God 
promised  that  greater  light  should  come  upon  his 
Word  at  the  end  of  the  age,  or  end  of  the  world. 
Since  we  have  reached  that  time,  we  confidently  look 
for  more  light  and  thus  we  find  it. 

^  The  book  of  Revelation  is  written  largely  in  sym- 
bols. In  Revelation  14 :  2,  3  and  15 :  2,  3  we  find  a 
brief  description  of  a  class  of  glorious  beings  who  are 
plajdng  upon  their  harps,  and  these  are  described  as  the 
'harps  of  God'.  The  harp  here  is  used  as  a  sign  or 
sj^mbol  of  some  great  truth,  or  feature  of  the  divine 
program ;  in  fact,  a  great  deal  of  the  Bible  is  written 
in  symbolic  phrase.  The  Lord  uses  objects  which  we 
know  to  illustrate  great  unseen  things  which  we  do 
not  know ;  and  the  harp  is  so  used. 

WHO  IS  GOD? 

*  Before  we  can  know  God  and  understand  his  great 
plan  it  is  first  necessary  for  us  to  believe  that  he  exists 
and  that  he  rewards  all  who  diligently  seek  him.  (He- 
brews 11 :  6)  But  how  can  we  believe?  We  must  first 
have  some  knowledge.  But  how  can  we  know  that 
there  is  a  great  God?  Let  us  look  at  some  of  the 
simpler  things  about  us  and  reason  upon  the  matter. 


The  Harp  of  God 


13 


^  Look  at  the  flowers  in  your  garden.  Out  from  the 
same  soil  grow  the  many  varieties  of  diiterent  hues 
and  colors.  Likewise  from  the  same  soil  spring  the 
divers  kinds  of  trees,  bringing  forth  different  fruits 
at  different  seasons  of  the  year.  Some  wisdom  su- 
perior to  man 's  must  have  arranged  these  things. 
Observe  the  broad  fields,  the  lofty  mountains,  the 
mighty  rivers,  and  then  behold  the  ocean,  exhibiting 
unlimited  power,  upon  the  waves  of  which  majesti- 
cally ride  the  great  ships.  Are  we  not  compelled  to 
conclude  that  there  is  a  'wise  One,  who  created  these 
things,  greater  than  anytliing  we  see  ? 

^  Now  gaze  into  the  silent  heavens  above  you,  and 
there  number,  if  you  can,  the  stars  and  planets  which 
are  noiselessly  moving  through  space.  Many  of  these 
are  far  greater  than  the  earth,  and  yet  each  one  hangs 
in  its  place  and  moves  noiselessly  about  in  its  orbit. 
Surely  they  could  not  have  come  there  by  chance,  but 
the  reasonable  mind  must  say  that  a  Creator  greater 
than  the  planets  put  them  there.  When  King  David 
looked  at  these  wonders  of  creation  he  was  so  impressed 
with  the  greatness  of  their  Creator  that  he  wrote; 
*'The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God:  and  the 
firmament  sheweth  his  handywork.  Day  unto  day 
uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  sheweth  knowl- 
edge. There  is  no  speech  nor  language,  where  their 
voice  is  not  heard.  Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all 
the  earth,  and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world.'* 
—Psalm  19 : 1-4. 

®  Consider  man.  What  a  wonderful  piece  of  mech- 
anism is  his  body !  The  framework  is  there ;  the  mus- 
cles that  hold  each  part  in  place;  the  nerves,  like  a 
great  electrical  system  by  which  messages  are  con- 
veyed from  the  brain  to  all  parts  of  the  body.  He  has 
power  to  reason  and  to  plan  and  carry  out  these  plans. 


14 


The  Harp  of  God 


Truly  no  machine  can  be  compared  to  man  for  intri- 
cacy of  construction  and  harmony  of  action.  Who, 
then,  is  the  Creator  of  this  wonderful  thing?  We 
must  conclude  that  there  is  a  great  First  Cause  who 
made  and  put  into  action  all  things  visible  in  the 
universe,  as  well  as  things  to  us  invisible.  And  who 
is  he  ?  Jehovah  is  his  name ;  the  great  God  of  the 
universe.— Psa.  83 : 18 ;  Gen.  17 : 1 ;  Ex.  6 :  3 ;  20 :  2-5. 

The  name  Jehovah  means  self-existing  one.  He 
is  without  beginning  and  without  end,  and  of  him 
Moses  wrote:  ''Prom  everlasting  to  everlasting,  thou 
art  God.''  (Psalm  90:2;  Isaiah  26:4)  He  is  the 
great  Almighty  Jehovah  God  and  there  is  none  other 
besides  him,  and  his  honor  and  dignity  none  other 
possesses.  ( Isaiah  42 :  8 )  He  is  the  great  all-wise 
Creator  of  all  things  that  are  made.  ( Isaiah  40 :  28 ; 
Genesis  1:1)  The  four  great  and  eternal  attributes  of 
Jehovah  are  justice,  power,  love,  and  wisdom.  (Ezekiel 
1 :  5,  6)  These  attributes  work  together  in  exact  har- 
mony at  all  times ;  and  in  various  times  and  ways  he 
makes  manifest  these  attributes.  At  certain  times  he 
has  specially  manifested  such  attributes. 

His  justice  was  made  manifest  by  inflicting  pun- 
ishment for  the  violation  of  his  law.  Power  was  par- 
ticularly manifested  in  the  great  flood  that  destroyed 
all  things  on  the  earth.  His  love  was  especially  ex- 
hibited in  the  sacrifice  of  the  dearest  treasure  of  his 
heart,  his  beloved  Son,  that  mankind  might  have  an 
opportunity  for  life.  His  wisdom  is  particularly  mani- 
fested in  his  great  plan,  which  he  gradually  unfolds 
and  permits  man  to  see.  His  attributes  have  no  limi- 
tations. He  is  so  wise  that  he  knew  the  end  from 
the  beginning  and  outlined  all  of  his  great  plan  to  the 
very  minutest  detail. — ^Acts  15 : 18. 


The  Harp  of  God 


HIS  REVELATION 

It  is  conceded  by  all  that  man  is  the  very  highest 
iy^e  of  all  living  creatures  on  the  earth.  His  intelli- 
gence is  far  superior  to  that  of  any  other  earthly 
being.  Truly  man  is  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made. 
Is  it  not  reasonable  for  him  to  expect  that  the  Al- 
mighty God  would  reveal  to  man  something  of  the 
divine  greatness  and  plans  and  purposes?  Yes,  and 
such  revelation  is  found  in  that  wonderful  book,  the 
holy  Bible. 

Who  wrote  the  Bible  ?  What  is  known  as  the  Old 
Testament  was  written  by  holy  men  of  old  who  were 
moved  upon  by  the  invisible  power  of  Jehovah  to 
write  it.  (2  Peter  1 :  21 ;  2  Samuel  23  :  2  ;  Luke  1 :  70) 
The  New  Testament  consists  of  the  spoken  words  of 
Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  who 'spake  as  never  man  spake,' 
and  whose  words  were  recorded  by  those  who  heard 
him  and  witnessed  his  acts ;  and  in  addition  thereto, 
the  written  testimony  of  his  disciples,  who  wrote  un- 
der inspiration  from  God. 

^*  The  holy  spirit  means  the  invisible  power  of 
Jehovah,  holy  because  he  is  holy.  This  power  of 
Jehovah  operated  upon  the  minds  of  honest  men  who 
loved  and  who  were  devoted  to  righteousness,  direct- 
ing them  in  the  writing  of  the  Bible.  The  spirit  of 
God,  i.  e.,  his  invisible  pov/er,  moved  upon  the  waters 
and  thereby  he  created.  (Genesis  1:2)  In  like  man- 
ner his  invisible  power  operated  upon  the  minds  of 
men  and  directed  them  what  to  write.  Thus  did 
Moses  write  the  first  five  books  of  the  Bible.  The 
invisible  power  of  God,  which  is  the  holy  spirit,  op- 
erating upon  Moses  ^  mind  enabled  him  to  make  a 
record  of  the  chief  events  that  had  occurred  and  to 
write  the  law  of  God,  as  given  to  his  people  through 
Moses.  In  no  other  way  could  the  true  history  of 


IG 


The  Harp  of  God 


creation  have  been  written.  These  facts  and  truths 
were,  therefore,  written  by  inspiration  of  God.  (2 
Timothy  3:16;  Job  32:8)  There  are  twenty-four 
prophetic  writers  of  the  Old  Testament,  who  foretold 
the  great  events  that  were  to  transpire  in  the  earth. 
Their  accounts  were  written  at  different  times  and 
under  widely  different  conditions,  yet  their  testimo- 
nies agree.  Their  testimony  foreshadowed  future  events. 

History,  when  written,  is  a  recorded  statement  of 
facts  and  events,  arranged  in  a  chronological  order. 

Prophecy,  which  is  true,  is  a  statement  of  facts 
and  events  foretold  to  take  place  at  some  future  time. 
Otherwise  stated,  prophecy  is  history  written  before 
it  transpires. 

No  human  mind  could  actually  foretell  facts  or 
events  to  happen  in  the  future.  Only  the  di\'ine  mind 
could  do  that.  If,  then,  we  find  that  the  Bible  fore- 
told certain  facts  and  events  to  happen  and  the  record 
of  the  same  was  made  centuries  before  these  facts  and 
events  did  happen,  and  these  events  and  facts  are 
now  definitely  established  as  having  taken  place,  such 
would  be  the  strongest  proof  that  the  persons  record- 
ing such  facts  and  events  were  directed  in  so  doing 
by  the  divine  mind;  hence  that  such  writing  was 
under  divine  inspiration. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  point :  Wireless  teleg- 
raphy and  airships  are  modern  discoveries;  yet 
since  they  have  been  discovered  we  find  that  God, 
through  his  holy  prophets,  foretold  centuries  ago  the 
use  of  such  inventions.  (Isaiah  60:8)  The  railway 
train  has  been  in  use  less  than  a  hundred  years ; 
and  yet  God  by  his  prophet  many  centuries  ago  fore- 
told that  at  "the  time  of  the  end"  there  would  be 
many  running  to  and  fro.  Without  doubt  this  proph- 
ecy refers  to  the  rapid  transportation,  including  the 


The  Harp  of  God 


17 


railway  and  other  means  of  modem  travel,  such  as 
automobiles,  electric  cars,  etc.  (Dan.  12:4)  There 
is  no  one  living  in  modern  times  who  is  wiser  than 
Solomon;  yet  during  the  past  125  years  there  have 
been  a  great  development  in  invention  and  a  marvel- 
ous increase  of  Imowledge,  because  it  is  due  time,  and 
because  the  prophets  of  God  centuries  ago  foretold 
that  such  would  come  to  pass. 

^®  Through  his  holy  prophets  God  foretold  that  at  a 
time  future  there  would  come  into  the  world  a  mighty 
man;  that  he  would  be  born  a  Jew  (Deuteronomy  18: 
15),  specifying  the  place  where  he  would  be  born 
(Micah  5:2);  that  he  v/ould  come  to  his  own  people 
and  they  v/ould  not  receive  him;  that  he  would  be 
despised  and  rejected  of  men,  a  man  of  sorrows  and 
acquainted  with  grief  (Isaiah  53: 1-3)  ;  that  he  would 
ride  into  Jerusalem  upon  an  ass,  and  her  colt,  and 
offer  himself  as  king  to  the  Jews  (Zechariah  9:9)  ; 
that  he  would  be  rejected  by  the  Jews  (Isaiah  53 :  3) ; 
that  he  would  be  betrayed  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver 
(Zechariah  11:12)  ;  that  he  would  die,  but  not  for 
himself  (Daniel  9:26)  ;  that  there  would  be  no  just 
cause  for  his  death  (Isaiah  53:  8,  9,  11)  ;  that  never- 
theless he  would  be  numbered  among  the  transgres- 
sors (Isaiah  53:12);  that  he  would  die  a  violent 
death,  yet  not  a  bone  of  his  body  should  be  broken 
(Psalm  34:  20)  ;  that  his  flesh  would  not  corrupt  and 
that  he  would  be  raised  from  the  dead  (Ps.  16: 10)  ; 
all  of  which  and  many  more  similar  prophecies  were 
completely  fulfilled  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  great 
Teacher  who  lived  about  and  died  at  Jerusalem.  Later 
we  shall  examine  the  scriptures  proving  a  further 
fulfilment  of  all  these  prophecies. 

^°  All  of  the  foregoing  facts  show  that  the  Bible  was 
written,  as  it  is  claimed,  by  holy  men  of  old,  who  were 


18 


The  Harp  of  God 


directed  in  writing  it  by  the  power  of  Jehovah,  and 
that  it  is  a  record  which  God  caused  to  be  kept  and 
has  given  to  man  for  his  guidance  in  righteousness, 
and  which  foretells  the  course  and  final  destiny  of  man. 

2^  The  prophets  v/ho  made  record  of  the  divine  ar- 
rangement did  not  understand  what  they  wrote.  They 
knew  they  v/ere  writing  something  that  would  take 
place  in  the  future,  but  just  how  and  when  they  did 
not  Imow.  They  inquired  and  searched  diligently  all 
sources  of  information  open  to  them  as  to  what  these 
prophecies  meant  and  when  they  would  be  fulfilled 
and  in  what  manner  of  time.  Particularly  with  ref- 
erence to  the  coming  of  Jesus,  his  suffering,  death 
and  resurrection  they  prophesied  and  did  not 
understand,  although  they  attempted  to  understand. 
(1  Peter  1: 10-12)  Even  the  angels  of  heaven  Imew 
that  the  prophets  were  thus  writing,  but  they  did 
not  understand,  although  they  desired  to  look  into 
these  things.  God  revealed  his  great  plan  only  in  his 
own  due  time,  and  until  that  time  he  kept  it  all  to 
himself. 

The  divine  plan  means  the  arrangement  made  by 
Jehovah  for  the  creation  of  everything  that  has  been 
created  and  for  carrying  out  his  purposes  with  ref- 
erence to  his  creatures.  The  first  one  to  understand 
the  divine  plan  was  Jesus,  who  prior  to  coming  to 
earth  was  known  as  the  Logos,  which  means  one  who 
fipealts  and  acts  for  Jehovah.  In  Revelation,  chapter 
5,  a  wonderful  picture  is  given  in  symbolic  language. 
Jehovah  is  pictured  as  seated  upon  his  throne,  hold- 
ing in  his  right  hand  a  record  or  scroll  of  his  great 
plan.  The  hand  is  a  symbol  of  power  and  holding 
it  in  his  hand  foreshadowed  the  fact  that  Jehovah 
held  it  exclusively  in  his  own  power  and  keeping.  The 
picture  then  shows  a  strong  angel  or  messenger  speak- 


The  Harp  of  God 


1$ 


ing  with  a  loud  voice  and  asking  the  question:  **Who 
is  worthy  to  open  the  book  and  to  loose  the  seals 
thereof?"  In  heaven  there  was  a  host  of  holy  beings 
or  angels.  No  one  of  them  was  able  to  open  the  book 
or  scroll,  neither  to  look  on  it.  No  one  in  earth  was 
able  to  look  upon  it  nor  to  open  it. 

22  One  of  the  titles  given  to  Jesus  is  ''Lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah'\  This  great  and  mighty  One,  the 
beloved  Son  of  God,  afterward  designated  Jesus,  was 
granted  the  privilege  of  opening  the  book  and  of 
loosing  the  seals  that  kept  it  secret,  thus  picturing 
how  Jehovah  made  known  his  plan  to  his  beloved  Son. 
The  picture  describes  him  thus :  * '  And  I  beheld,  and, 
lo,  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  .  .  .  stood  a  Lamb,  as 
it  had  been  slain,  having  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes, 
.  .  .  and  he  came  and  took  the  book  out  of  the  right 
hand  of  him  [Jehovah]  that  sat  upon  the  throne." 

2*  Seven  is  a  symbol  of  perfection ;  horn  a  symbol 
of  power;  and  eyes  a  symbol  of  wisdom.  Therefore 
this  One  is  pictured  as  having  perfect  power  and  per- 
fect wisdom  to  perform  this  wonderful  privilege  and 
duty.  This  is  the  first  time  that  the  great  mystery  of 
Jehovah,  his  great  plan  or  program,  was  made  known 
to  any  one ;  and  since  then,  from  time  to  time,  he  has 
been  pleased  to  reveal  portions  of  his  plan  to  men 
who  have  honestly  and  faithfully  sought  to  under- 
stand it.  He  has  promised  to  reward  those  who  dili- 
gently seek  him  and  who  seek  a  knowledge  of  him. 
Therefore  we  can  come  to  the  study  of  his  plan,  con- 
fidently expecting  that  he  will  grant  us  from  time  to 
time  such  a  vision  and  understanding  of  it  as  pleases 
him  and  as  would  be  for  our  good  and  happiness. 

The  harp  is  used  to  symbolize  the  grandeur  and 
beauty,  the  exquisite  harmony  and  majestic  sweetness 
of  the  divine  arrangement  or  plan.  The  record  of 


20 


The  Harp  of  God 


this  great  program  or  plan  is  found  in  the  Old  and 
the  New  Testament.  This  record  reveals  the  purpose 
of  God  concerning  man,  gives  a  record  of  his  fall,  a 
prophetic  vision  of  his  redemption  and  deliverance, 
and  ultimately  the  blessing  of  all  obedient  ones  of 
mankind  with  life  everlasting.  The  great  fundamental 
doctrines  or  truths  stated  in  the  Bible  and  which  con- 
stitute the  fundamentals  of  his  plan  concerning  man 
would,  therefore,  constitute  the  strings  upon  the  harp 
of  God.  These  fundamental  truths  were  spoken  by- 
Jehovah  through  the  prophets,  through  Jesus,  and 
through  his  disciples.  God 's  law  is  his  expressed  will. 
Law  means  a  rule  of  action,  directing  that  which  is 
right  and  prohibiting  that  which  is  wrong.  The  Bi- 
ble contains  the  law  of  Jehovah  for  the  governing 
of  mankind. 

2^  The  name  David  means  beloved  one.  The  beloved 
One  of  Jehovah  is  his  Son,  Jesus,  the  Christ.  David 
was  tlierefore  used  by  Jehovah  to  picture  or  to  make 
a  type  of  Christ,  including  Jesus  and  his  faithful  fol- 
lowers. David  used  the  harp  of  ten  strings  and  was  an 
expert  performer  upon  it.  This  would  seem  to  picture 
that  the  antitype  of  David,  Jesus  and  the  m.em- 
bers  of  his  body,  his  faithful  followers,  would  have 
an  understanding  of  this  harp  of  God  and  that  God 
would  use  them  to  make  it  plain  to  others  who  would 
want  to  understand  it.  The  ten  strings  of  the  harp, 
therefore,  very  fitly  represent  the  ten  great  fundamen- 
tal truths  or  doctrines  of  the  divine  plan.  These  ten 
fundamental  doctrines  appear  in  the  order  named, 
as  follows : 

(1)  CREATION 

(2)  JUSTICE  MANIFESTED 

(3)  AEBAHAMIC  PEOMISB 

(4)  BIETH  OF  JESUS 


The  Harp  of  God 


21 


(5)  RANSOM 

(  6  )  RESURKECTION 

(7)  MYSTEBY  REVEALED 

(8)  THE  lord's  return 

(9)  GLORIFICATION 
(10)  RESTORATION 

*^When  one  understands  these  ten  fundamental 
truths  and  can  appreciate  the  beauty  and  harmony 
by  them  expressed,  he  is  thereby  enabled  to  use  the 
harp  of  God,  and  the  use  of  it  brings  joy  to  his  heart 
and  fills  his  soul  with  sweet  music.  Without  doubt 
the  great  plan  of  God  pictured  by  the  harp  was  all 
made  and  arranged  at  one  time,  but  we  will  here  con- 
sider each  one  of  these  fundamental  truths,  repre- 
sented by  a  string,  separately  and  in  the  order  above 
named. 

What  is  the  hai-p?  and  when  was  it  invented?  f  1. 

Who  invented  the  harp?  and  where  is  mention  made  of 
it  in  the  Bible?  ^  1. 

When  did  God  organize  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  into 
a  nation?  H  2. 

What  arrangement  did  God  make  with  the  nation  of 
Israel?  ^  2. 

For  what  purpose  was  that  nation  used  by  Jehovah?  7  2. 

To  what  did  the  nation  of  Israel  consecrate  the  harp?  ^  3. 

What  king  of  Israel  was  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  harp  ?  1[  3. 
Where  in  the  Scriptures  is  the  harp  used  sj'mbolically  ?  ^  3. 

On  what  occasions  did  the  Jews  use  the  harp?  H  3. 

How  many  strings  were  there  on  Israel's  harp?  and  what 
did  these  symbolize?  ^  4. 

Did  the  harp  at  any  time  have  a  less  number  of  strings? 
and  if  so,  what  did  that  picture?  4. 

In  what  phrase  or  language  is  the  book  of  Revelation 
written?  ^  5. 

Where  in  the  book  of  Revelation  is  the  harp  mentioned? 
and  what  kind  of  beings  are  pictured  as  using  it?  f  5. 

What  is  the  first  essential  to  au  understanding  of  God's 
plan?  *i  6. 


22 


The  Harp  of  God 


Name  some  visible  proof  of  the  existence  of  a  Supreme 
Being  or  Creator.  ^  7. 

How  was  David  impressed  with  what  he  observed  of 
creation?  If  8. 

How  does  man's  organism  prove  the  existence  of  a  Su- 
preme Being?  ^  9. 

Who  is  the  Supreme  Being  or  Creator?  and  what  does 
his  name  signifj^?  ^  10. 

Give  some  Scriptural  proof  of  the  existence  of  Jehovah. 
H  10. 

Name  the  four  primary  divine  attributes.  ^  10. 
How  was  divine  justice  manifested?  ^  11. 
How  was  divine  power  manifested?  1[  11. 
How  was  divine  love  manifested?  ^  11. 
How  was  divine  wisdom  manifested?  11. 
Is  tliere  proof  that  God  foreknew  the  end  from  the  be- 
ginning? ^  11. 

Why  should  man  expect  some  revelation  of  the  divine 
plan?  II  12. 

Has  man  found  a  revelation  of  God's  plan?  and  if  so, 
where?  H  12. 

By  whom  was  the  Bible  written?  and  what  are  the  two 
general  divisions  of  it?  1[  13. 

What  is  meant  by  the  holy  spirit?  ^  14. 

What  relationship  does  the  holy  spirit  bear  to  the  Bible 
and  its  preparation?  H  14. 

Who  wrote  the  first  five  books  of  the  Bible?  and  under 
what  conditions?  ^  14. 

AVas  the  Bible  written  under  Inspiration?  7  14. 

How  many  prophetic  writers  contributed  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment? and  does  their  testimony  agree?  %  14. 

Define  history.  ^  15. 

Define  prophecy.  H  16. 

Can  a  human  mind  accurately  foretell  future  events?  f  17. 

W^hat  is  one  of  the  strongest  proofs  that  the  Bible  was 
■^^Titten  under  Inspiration?  t  17. 

What  relationsliip  do  wireless  telegraphy  and  airships 
bear  to  fulfilled  prophecy?  H  18. 

Were  means  of  modem  transportation  foretold  by  the 
prophets?  and  if  so  where?  ^  18. 

What  other  means  of  ri^d  transit  did  the  propheU  fore- 
tell? V  18. 


The  Harp  of  God 


23 


Why  did  not  Solomon  give  the  world  great  inventions 
such  as  we  now  have?  ^  18. 

Did  the  prophets  point  to  the  coming  of  any  special  one 
to  earth?  IT  19. 

What  prophecy,  if  any,  did  the  coming  of  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth tend  to  fulfil?  H  19. 

How  did  the  coming  of  Jesus  tend  to  confirm  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  Scriptures?  If  20. 

Did  the  propliets  understand  the  meaning  of  what  they 
wrote  concerning  the  happening  of  future  events?  ^  21. 

What  effort  did  they  make  to  understand?  ^  21. 

Did  the  angels  in  heaven  understand  what  the  prophets 
were  writing?  ^  21. 

What  is  meant  by  the  term  "the  divine  plan"?  ^  22. 

Who  was  the  first  one  to  understand  the  divine  plan?  ^  22. 

What  was  the  name  of  Jesus  before  he  became  a  man? 
and  what  is  the  significance  of  his  prehuman  title?  H  22. 

What  is  pictured  by  the  fifth  chapter  of  Revelation?  Give 
the  details  of  the  picture.  1[  22. 

Who  is  the  "Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah"?  If  23. 

What  is  the  symbolic  meaning  of  the  words  "seven", 
"horns,"  and  "eyes"?  and  what  do  these  words  signify  as 
used  in  Revelation  5?  If  24. 

Is  there  reason  to  expect  that  God  would  grant  certain 
ones  from  time  to  time  an  increased  understanding  of  his 
plan?  and  if  so,  why?  If  24. 

What  does  the  harp  symbolize?  If  25. 

AVhere  is  the  record  of  the  divine  plan  found?  ^  25. 

What  does  this  record  reveal  concerning  man?  if  25. 

By  whom  has  God  spoken  his  fundamental  truths?  ^  25. 

What  is  the  law  of  God?  Define  law.  If  25. 

Wliere  is  the  law  of  God  found  ?  ^  25. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "David"?  If  26. 

Whom  did  David  picture  or  typify?  ^  26. 

What  did  David's  use  of  the  harp  typify  or  picture?  ^  26. 

What  is  pictured  or  symbolized  by  the  ten  strings  of 
David's  harp?  If  26. 

Name  the  ten  fundamental  truths  represented  by  the 
strings  on  the  harp.  ^  26. 

How  can  one  learn  to  use  the  harp  of  God?  If  27. 

What  effect  is  produced  upon  one  who  skilfully  uses  the 
harp?  If  27. 


The  Harp  of  God 


OMNIPOTENT  GCD 

Harps  of  eternity!  begin  the  song, 
Redeemed,  and  angel  harps!  begin  to  Gocl, 
Begin  the  anthem  ever  sweet  and  new, 
While  I  extol  Him  holy,  just,  and  good. 
Life,  beautj',  light,  intelligence,  and  love! 
Eternal,  uncreated,  infinite! 
Unsearchable  Jehovah!   God  of  truth! 
Maker,  upholder,  governor  of  all: 
Thyself  unmade,  ungoverned,  unupheld, 
Omnipotent,  unchangeable,  Great  God! 
Exhaustiess  fulness!  giving  unimpaired! 
Bounding  immensity,  unspread,  unbound! 
Highest  and  best!  beginning,  middle,  end. 
All-seeing  Eye!  all-seeing,  and  unseen! 
Hearing,  unheard!  all  knowing,  and  unknown! 
Above  all  praise !  above  all  height  of  thought ! 
Proprietor  of  immortality! 
Glory  ineffable !  Bliss  underived ! 
Of  old  Thou  build'st  Thy  throne  on  righteousness, 
Before  the  morning  Stars  their  song  began, 
Or  silence  heard  the  voice  of  praise.  Thou  laid'st 
Eternity's  foundation  stone,  and  sav/'st 
Life  and  existence  out  of  Thee  begin. 

— Po7 


CHAPTER  II 


String  i:  Creation 

THE  subject  of  creation  here  treated  relates  partic- 
ularly to  the  earth  and  the  creatures  of  the  earth, 
the  chief  one  of  which  is  man.  AYe  ^vill  not  attempt 
to  discuss  at  length  the  creation  of  other  planets,  r.or 
of  the  other  creatures.  Attention  is  called  merely  to 
the  Scriptural  statement  that  the  beginning  of  God's 
creation  was  the  Logos,  which  term  is  translated  in 
our  Bibles  ''the  Word'\  The  record  reads:  ''In  the 
beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 
[the]  God,  and  the  Word  was  [a]  god.''  (John  1:1) 
God  is  a  name  applied  to  Jehovah,  the  Almighty  One. 
It  is  sometimes  applied  to  other  mighty  ones  also; 
whereas  the  name  Jehovah  applies  exclusively  to  the 
great  eternal  God.  The  Logos,  the  Word,  was  a  god, 
a  mighty  one.  "The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with 
[the]  God.  All  things  were  made  by  him ;  and  with- 
out him  was  not  anything  made  that  was  made. ' '  He 
was  Jehovah's  great  active  agent  in  the  creation  of 
all  things  created. 

*®  Since  the  Bible  was  written  for  man* 8  benefit,  the 
Genesis  account  of  creation  has  to  do  with  man  and 
his  place  of  habitation.  There  we  read:  *'In  the  be- 
ginning God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth.*'  He 
created  the  sun,  for  light  by  day ;  and  the  moon,  for 
light  by  night,  upon  the  earth.  God  then  created  the 
birds  and  fowls  that  fly  through  the  air,  and  the  fish 
of  the  sea.  He  created  the  cattle  and  the  creeping 
things,  and  all  the  beasts  of  the  earth.  Ail  this  was 

27 


28 


The  Harp  of  God 


before  the  creation  of  man.  He  had  formed  the  earth 
many  centuries  before  man 's  creation,  and  he  created 
it  that  man  might  have  a  place  to  live.  He  caused 
his  prophet  to  write;  have  made  the  earth,  and 
created  man  upon  it.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  that 
created  the  heavens;  God  himself  that  formed  the 
earth  and  made  it ;  he  hath  established  it,  he  created 
it  not  in  vain,  he  formed  it  to  be  inhabited. ' ' — Isaiah 
45 : 12, 18. 

God  created  the  first  man  and  woman  out  of  the 
elements  and  gave  them  power  to  produce  and  bring 
forth  children,  and  all  the  human  race  sprang  from 
the  first  pair.  God  was  the  Father  and  the  earth  the 
mother  of  Adam.  The  first  man  was  named  Adam; 
the  first  woman,  Eve.  *'God  created  man  in  his  o^\'ti 
image,  in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him ;  male  and 
female  created  he  them.  And  God  blessed  them,  and 
God  said  unto  them.  Be  fruitful,  and  multiply,  and 
jQU  the  earth,  and  subdue  it ;  and  have  dominion  over 
the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and 
over  every  living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the  earth.'* 
—Genesis  1 :  27,  28. 

We  are  all  interested  in  knowing  how  Jehovah 
created  the  first  man,  Adam.  '^And  the  Lord  God 
formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and  breathed 
into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life ;  and  man  became  a 
living  soul.''  (Genesis  2:7)  God  did  not  give  man  a 
soul  separate  and  distinct  from  the  man.  The  word 
''soul"  means  being ;  living,  breathing  creature.  Every 
man  is  a  soul.  No  man  has  a  soul.  Every  living  crea- 
ture is  a  soul.  God  called  all  moving  creatures  that 
have  life  souls".  (See  Genesis  1:20,  margin.)  He 
designates  various  animals  as  souls. — ^Numbers  31 :  28. 

^2  Jehovah  then  made  a  beautiful  home  for  man, 
which  is  designated  in  the  Bible  as  Eden,  a  garden,  a 


Creation 


29 


beautiful  park.  E-verji:hing  in  Eden  was  perfect,  be- 
cause all  the  works  of  Jehovah  are  perfect.  (Deuter- 
onomy 32:  4)  ''And  the  Lord  God  planted  a  garden 
eastward  in  Eden;  and  there  he  put  the  man  whom 
he  had  formed.  And  out  of  the  ground  made  the  Lord 
God  to  grow  every  tree  that  is  pleasant  to  the  sight, 
and  good  for  food ;  the  tree  of  life  also  in  the  midst 
of  the  garden,  and  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil.  And  the  Lord  God  took  the  man,  and  put  him 
into  the  garden  of  Eden  to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it.'' — 
Genesis  2:8,9, 15. 

God  next  gave  to  man  a  law  to  govern  him.  He 
told  him  what  he  might  do  and  what  he  might  not  do ; 
and  informed  him  that  a  violation  of  this  law  would 
bring  death  upon  him.  *  *  And  the  Lord  God  conmiand- 
ed  the  man,  saying.  Of  every  tree  of  the  garden  thou 
mayest  freely  eat :  but  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it :  for  in  the  day 
that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die." — 
Genesis  2 : 16, 17. 

God  then  created  Eve  to  be  a  helpmate  or  com- 
panion to  Adam.  (Genesis  2:21-25)  If  Adam  and 
Eve  had  been  obedient  to  Jehovah  at  all  times,  there 
would  have  been  no  sickness,  sorrow,  nor  death 
amongst  the  human  race. 

In  the  Scriptures  Jesus,  the  Logos,  is  designated 
as  ''the  bright  and  morning  star".  (Revelation  22: 
16)  He  at  all  times  was  and  is  the  joy  and  delight 
of  the  heavenly  Father,  Jehovah.  A  star  is  used  to 
symbolize  a  heavenly  creature.  The  'Morning  Star'  is 
the  most  honored  one  in  all  the  divine  realm,  J ehovah 
alone  excepted.  Other  heavenly  creatures  are  desig- 
nated as  'stars'. 

Many  times  you  have  heard  the  question  asked, 
Who  made  the  Devil,  Satan,  the  evil  one?  The  cor- 


20 


The  Harp  of  God 


rect  answer  is,  He  was  not  always  the  Devil  or  Satan. 
He  was  created  a  perfect  and  beautiful  creature.  He 
was  also  designated  a  'star  of  heaven'.  His  original 
name  was  Lucifer.  The  Prophet  Ezekiel  says  of  him 
that  he  was  "the  anointed  cherub  that  covereth", 
which  seems  to  indicate  that  he  had  authority  over 
some  others.  Continuing,  the  prophet  records :  *  *  Thou 
wast  upon  the  holy  mountain  of  God;  thou  hast 
walked  up  and  doTO  in  the  midst  of  the  stones  of 
fire.  Thou  wast  perfect  in  thy  ways  from  the  day 
that  thou  wast  created,  till  iniquity  was  found  in 
thee.'*  (Ezekiel  28:14,15)  He  is  described  as  a 
beautiful  creature.  Thus  the  prophet  speal^s  of  him : 
"Thou  hast  been  in  Eden  the  garden  of  God;  every 
precious  stone  was  thy  covering,  the  sardius,  topaz, 
and  the  diamond,  the  beryl,  the  onyx,  and  the  jasper, 
the  sapphire,  the  emerald,  and  the  carbuncle,  and 
gold:  the  worlmianship  of  thy  tabrets  and  of  thy 
pipes  was  prepared  in  thee  in  the  day  that  thou  wast 
created."— Ezekiel  28:13. 

Other  angelic  hosts  in  heaven  are  designated  the 
sons  of  God.  When  God  created  the  earth,  laying  its 
foundations  as  a  habitation  for  man,  when  he  created 
these  beautiful  earthly  creatures  upon  the  earth, 
these  two  great  Stars  of  heaven  sang  together  a  song 
of  gladness,  and  the  angelic  sons  of  God  shouted  for 
joy.  (Job  38:4-7)  It  appears  that  at  that  time  all 
the  creatures  of  Jehovah  were  in  harmony  with  him 
and  obedient  to  him,  and  of  course  they  would  watch 
the  creation  develop ;  and  when  the  highest  earthly 
creatures  were  made,  perfect  man  and  perfect  woman, 
endowed  with  the  attributes  of  wisdom,  justice,  love, 
and  power,  made  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  Jeho- 
vah, there  was  great  joy  in  heaven.  Hence  the  occa- 
sion for  the  song  and  shouting  by  the  heavenly  hosts. 


Creation 


31 


^®  In  the  unfolding  of  the  divine  plan,  therefore, 
we  see  that  creation  is  the  first  part  and  is  properly 
designated  as  the  first  string  upon  the  harp  of  God. 
**God  is  light,  and  in  him  is  no  darkness  at  all."  (1 
John  1:5)  All  the  works  of  Jehovah  are  perfect. 
(Deuteronomy  32:4)  Hence  we  must  conclude  that 
all  the  creatures  of  Jehovah  were  in  the  light,  were 
creatures  of  light,  all  happy,  all  joyful.  And  when 
the  perfect  man  and  perfect  woman  were  placed  in 
the  beautiful  garden  of  Eden,  every  tiling  there  was 
joyful. 


To  what  does  the  subject  of  creation  herein  briefly  treated 
relate?  ^  28. 

Who  is  designated  in  the  Bible  as  the  beginning  of  God's 
creation?  1[  28. 

To  what  does  the  Genesis  account  of  creation  relate?  ^  29. 

What  earthly  creatures  did  God  create  before  making 
man?  ^  29. 

For  what  purpose  did  God  create  the  earth?  ^  29. 
What  human  beings  did  God  create?  H  30. 
Who  was  the  father  and  who  the  mother  of  the  human 
race?  ^  30. 

Who  was  the  father  and  who  the  mother  of  Adam?  If  30. 
What  power  and  authority  did  God  give  to  man  at  his 
creation?  ^  30. 

How  did  God  create  man?  If  31. 
Define  the  soul.  If  31. 

Does  the  word  "soul"  apply  to  any  creatures  except  man? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  31. 

Describe  the  original  man's  first  home.  If  32. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  Eden?  ^  32. 

What  law  did  God  give  to  man  by  which  he  was  to  be 
governed  while  in  Eden?  ^  33. 

Describe  the  creation  of  Eve.  ^  34. 

By  obeying  God's  law,  how  long  could  Adam  and  Eve 
have  lived  in  Eden?  If  34.^ 
A  "star"  is  used  in  the  Scriptures  to  symbolize  what?  T  35. 


32 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  is  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptural  term  **brlght  and 
morning  star"?  ^  35. 

Who  is  the  most  highly  honored  one  in  the  divine  realm? 
^  35. 

Who  is  the  Devil  or  Satan?  and  who  made  him?  ^  36. 
What  was  his  original  name?  1[  36. 

How  does  the  Prophet  Ezekiel  describe  Lucifer?  H  36. 

What  other  beings  in  heaven  are  called  sons  of  God?  ^  37. 

When  God  created  man,  what  was  the  effect  upon  the 
host  of  heaven  who  observed  the  creation?  If  37. 

What  is  the  first  string  upon  the  divine  harp?  ^  38. 

Does  the  revelation  of  tliis  string  cause  rejoicing?  and 
if  so,  by  whom?  ^  38. 

Who  is  light  and  without  darkness?  If  38. 

Has  God  ever  created  an  imperfect  creature?  IT  38. 

What  is  the  disposition  of  God's  creatures  while  in  har- 
mony with  him?  If  38. 

What  was  the  condition  in  Eden  when  man  was  created? 
If  38. 


CHAPTER  III 


String  2:    Justice  Manifested 

ONE  of  the  divine  attributes  is  justice.  Justice 
and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  thy  throne. ' ' 
(Psalm  89: 14)  Divine  wisdom  devised  the  great  di- 
vine program  or  plan.  Divine  justice  must  perform 
its  part  in  harmony  with  the  other  divine  attributes. 
God 's  law  must  be  unchangeable.  God  being  unchange- 
able, his  creatures  can  have  absolute  confidence  and 
faith  in  him,  that  he  always  does  exactly  as  he  says. 
A  violation  of  Jehovah's  law  must  in  the  exercise  of 
justice  be  followed  by  punishment.  The  preroga- 
tive of  justice  is  to  see  that  the  law  is  enforced.  The 
manifestation  of  justice  magnifies  the  name  and  the 
dignity  of  Jehovah.  Without  the  manifestation  of 
justice  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  Jehovah  so 
fully  to  manifest  his  love  toward  man  in  providing 
for  his  redemption  and  subsequent  blessing.  When 
one  understands  the  office  of  justice  and  why  it  was 
manifested,  he  rejoices.  A  failure  to  understand  and 
appreciate  the  divine  attributes  makes  it  impossible 
for  one  properly  to  appreciate  Jehovah's  goodness 
and  loving-kindness  to  manldnd.  Jehovah  is  too  good 
to  be  unjust.  He  is  too  wise  to  make  a  mistake;  he 
is  too  loving  to  be  unkind;  and  his  power  is  always 
exercised  in  such  a  way  that  ultimate  good  may  result. 

*^  The  manifestation  of  justice  is  one  of  the  strings 
upon  the  harp  of  Grod ;  but  we  must  see  and  appreciate 
it  in  order  to  understand  the  beauty  and  harmony  it 
brings  when  used  in  connection  with  the  other  strings. 

35 


The  Harp  of  God 


Good  and  e\^l  are  antagonistic  principles  or  rules 
of  action.  Good  is  the  law  or  rule  of  action  by  which 
God  is  always  governed.  Evil  becomes  active  only 
when  some  creature  of  Jehovah  violates  his  law.  God 
made  man  a  free  moral  agent.  He  did  not  compel 
him  to  do  or  not  to  do  certain  things.  He  told  man 
that  if  he  did  certain  things  he  would  be  blessed ;  and 
that  if  he  did  other  things  contrary  to  divine  law  he 
vrould  suffer  punishment ;  and  the  punishment  pre- 
scribed was  death.  ]\Iother  Eve  was  deceived  by 
Satan,  the  Devil,  and  thereby  induced  to  violate  the 
law  of  God.  Father  Adam,  seeing  that  his  companion 
and  helpmate  had  violated  the  law  and  judging  that 
she  mu.st  die,  preferred  to  join  her  in  the  transgres- 
sion and  die  ^vith  her.  (1  Timothy  2:  14)  It  will  be 
of  interest  here  to  examine  the  circumstances  leading 
up  to  the  violation  of  the  law  of  God  and  to  see  why 
his  justice  toward  m.an  was  manifested  in  sentencing 
him  to  death. 

^2  All  dominion  rightly  belongs  to  Jehovah.  He  had 
given  man  dominion  over  the  things  of  earth.  Lucifer 
observed  Adam  and  Eve,  the  perfect  ones,  in  Eden; 
and  knowing  that  they  were  endowed  with  authority 
from  Jehovah  to  multiply  and  fill  the  earth,  he  had 
an  ambitious  desire  to  alienate  them  from  God  and 
cause  them  to  worship  him  instead  of  Jehovah  that 
he  might  be  like  the  l^Iost  High.  The  Prophet 
Isaiah  gives  us  some  light  upon  this  subject  when 
he  says :  ' '  IIow  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  0  Luci- 
fer, son  of  the  morning!  how  art  thou  cut  down  to 
the  ground,  which  didst  weaken  the  nations!  For 
thou  hast  said  in  thine  heart,  I  will  ascend  into  heav- 
en, I  will  exalt  my  throne  above  the  stars  of  God: 
I  will  sit  also  upon  the  mount  of  the  congregation, 
in  the  sides  of  the  north:  I  will  ascend  above  the 


Justice  Manifested 


37 


heights  of  the  elo-ads:  I  v/ill  be  like  the  Most  High. 
Yet  thou  shalt  be  brought  down  to  hell,  to  the  sides 
of  the  pit.''— Isaiah  14: 12-15. 

Thus  we  see  that  Satan  had  an  ambitious  desire 
to  be  like  the  Most  High.  God  manifested  his  justice 
toward  Lucifer  by  judicially  determining  that  in  his 
own  due  time  that  evil  one  shall  be  destroyed.  (Ezg- 
kiel  28 : 14-18  ;  Hebrews  2 : 14)  Lucifer,  because  of  his 
wickedness,  thereafter  was  and  is  known  by  the  names 
of  Dragon,  that  old  Serpent,  the  Devil,  and  Satan. 
(Revelation  12:9)  In  Genesis  3  he  is  spoken  of  as 
the  Serpent.  The  name  Dragon  means  devourer ;  Sa- 
tan means  adversary;  Devil  means  slanderer;  while 
Serpent  means  deceiver ;  and  all  these  names  indicate 
the  characteristics  of  Satan,  the  evil  one. 

According  to  the  Genesis  account,  the  old  Serpent, 
the  Devil,  deceived  Eve  in  this  manner :  As  we  have 
heretofore  observed,  Jehovah  had  told  Adam  and  Eve 
that  they  must  not  eat  of  a  certain  tree  in  Eden, 
known  as  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil. 
Appearing  to  mother  Eve  in  the  capacity  of  a  ser- 
pent, a  deceiver,  the  Devil  said  to  her  in  effect :  '  Hath 
God  said  that  ye  shall  not  eat  of  every  tree  in  Eden?' 
To  this  question  Eve  responded :  *  *  We  may  eat  of  the 
fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden:  but  of  the  fruit  of 
the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  God 
hath  said.  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye 
touch  it,  lest  ye  die."  The  old  Serpent,  the  Devil, 
replied:  "Ye  shall  not  surely  die:  for  God  doth  know 
that  in  the  day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall 
be  opened;  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good 
and  evil. ' '  In  other  words,  he  told  Eve  that  Jehovah 
was  trying  to  keep  her  and  her  husband  in  ignorance 
and  thus  take  advantage  of  them.  Doubtless  the  Devil 
himself  ate  of  the  fruit  in  the  presence  of  Eve  and 


38 


The  Harp  of  God 


then  deliberately  lied  to  her  by  saying:  ''Ye  shall 
not  surely  die,"  'God  knows  that  you  will  not  die.' 
And  by  this  means  he  induced  mother  Eve  to  eat  of 
the  fruit,  which  was  a  violation  of  God's  law.  We 
know  that  Satan  is  a  liar,  because  J esus  said  of  him : 
"He  was  a  murderer  from  the  beginning,  and  abode 
not  in  the  truth,  because  there  is  no  trath  in  him. 
When  he  speaketh  a  lie,  he  speaketh  of  his  own:  for 
he  is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of  it." — John  8:  44. 

The  fact  that  Eve  was  deceived  and  thereby  in- 
duced to  violate  the  law  of  God  in  no  wise  changed 
the  law  or  affected  its  enforcement.  Adam  deliber- 
ately ate  of  the  fruit  and  he  also  was  in  the  trans- 
gression.— 1  Timothy  2 : 14. 

After  they  had  violated  Jehovah's  law,  Adam 
and  Eve  hid  amongst  the  trees  in  Eden.  Jehovah 
spoke  to  Adam  and  asked:  "Hast  thou  eaten  of  the 
tree,  whereof  I  commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldest 
not  eat?"  Adam  responded  that  Eve  had  given  him 
the  fruit  to  eat ;  and  Eve  said  that  the  serpent  had 
deceived  lier.  They  both  stood  before  Jehovah  and 
confessed  their  guilt.  The  majesty  of  the  law  of  Je- 
hovah must  be  upheld.  His  law  being  unchangeable 
(Hebrev/s  6:18),  there  remained  nothing  to  do  but 
to  enforce  that  law.  Then  Jehovah  pronounced  his 
judgment  against  them,  the  record  of  which  reads: 
' '  Unto  tho  woman  he  said,  I  will  greatly  multiply  thy 
sorrow,  and  thy  conception:  in  sorrow  thou  shalt 
bring  forth  children;  and  thj^  desire  shall  be  to  thy 
husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over  thee.  And  unto 
Adam  he  said,  Because  thou  hast  hearkened  unto  the 
voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast  eaten  of  the  tree  of  which 
I  commanded  thee,  saying,  Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it: 
cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy  sake;  in  sorrow  shalt 
thou  eat  of  it  all  the  days  of  thy  life :  thorns  also  and 


Justice  Manifested 


39 


thistles  shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee;  and  thou  shalt 
eat  the  herb  of  the  field :  in  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt 
thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  unto  the  ground ;  for 
out  of  it  wast  thou  taken :  for  dust  thou  art,  and  unto 
dust  shalt  thou  return." — Genesis  3:16-19. 

Thus  the  perfect  man  forefeited  his  life.  He  had 
been  endowed  with  perfection  of  home,  liberty,  peace, 
happiness,  and  life  everlasting  on  earth.  Now  he  must 
die  and  return  to  the  dust  from  which  he  was  taken. 
God  did  not  put  him  to  death  immediately,  but  per- 
mitted him  to  have  930  years  of  experience  that  he 
might  learn  the  baneful  effects  of  sin.  Eden  contained 
perfect  food  that  would  have  sustained  the  perfect 
man  and  he  would  not  have  died  had  he  remained  in 
Eden,  unless  Jehovah  had  put  him  to  death  in  some 
direct  manner.  But  God  drove  him  out  of  Eden,  took 
him  away  from  the  perfect  food,  caused  him  to  gather 
his  food  from  among  the  thorns  and  thistles  and  from 
other  imperfect  elements  of  the  earth  that  were  found 
outside  of  Eden;  and  in  this  condition  he  continued 
to  sicken  and  to  die  until  at  the  end  of  the  period  of 
930  years  he  was  dead. 

A  kind  and  loving  parent  sometimes  inflicts 
punishment  upon  a  child  because  the  child  has  vio- 
lated a  rule.  The  parent  punishes  the  child  not  be- 
cause he  loves  to  see  the  child  suffer,  but  for  the  good 
of  the  child,  in  order  that  it  might  be  disciplined  and 
might  learn  the  proper  lessons.  If  the  child  always 
did  good  and  never  did  evil  it  would  not  merit  nor 
receive  any  punishment  from  a  loving  parent.  One 
of  the  chief  purposes  of  Jehovah  in  dealing  with  man- 
kind in  the  manner  he  does  deal  -svith  them  is  that 
humankind  might  be  disciplined  and  learn  the  lessons 
cf  good  and  the  effect  of  doing  wrong,  and  thus  learn 
to  appreciate  the  love  of  the  heavenly  Father, 


40 


The  Harp  of  God 


When  God  sentenced  our  first  parents  to  death 
and  drove  them  out  of  Eden,  he  had  in  mind  and  had 
already  planned  for  their  future  blessing,  as  we  shall 
see  upon  a  further  examination  of  his  plan.  Hence 
it  was  love  that  prompted  his  action  in  sentencing 
Adam  to  die.  Every  act  of  Jehovah  is  prompted  by 
love;  for  God  is  love.  He  always  acts  that  good  may 
result.  The  manifestation  of  his  strict  justice  was 
essential  that  the  dignity  and  greatness  of  Jehovah 
might  be  maintained.  At  the  same  time,  in  so  doing, 
love  was  the  motive  that  prompted  his  action.  It  must 
have  brought  sorrow  to  the  heart  of  Jehovah  to  be 
compelled  thus  to  punish  his  creatures,  because  God 
takes  no  pleasure  in  evil  things ;  yet  having  in  mind 
the  ultimate  blessing  and  restoration  of  them,  there 
would  be  pleasure  in  thus  manifesting  justice  that 
ultimate  good  might  result. 

We  therefore  mir^ht  with  propriety  speak  of  the 
manifestation  of  justice  as  the  minor  chord  in  the 
music  of  the  harp  of  God.  The  minor  chord  seems 
necessary  in  music  to  produce  exact  harmony. 

Job  in  his  suffering  seems  to  picture  the  world  of 
mankind  under  condemnation ;  and  when  suffering  he 
said:  ''My  harp  also  is  turned  to  mourning."  (Job 
30:  31)  The  perfect  man  and  his  helpmate,  deprived 
now  of  their  perfect  home,  toiling  as  they  sought  to 
gather  their  food  from  the  unfinished  earth,  suffering 
in  body  and  in  mind  because  of  their  separation  from 
God,  truly  would  have  said,  and  doubtless  did 
say :  '  Our  harp  is  turned  into  mourning. '  Since  that 
time  the  whole  v/orld  has  been  in  a  state  of  mourn- 
ing; and  mankind  still  suffers  and  groans  in  pain. 
The  world  of  mankind  in  general  has  not  appreciated 
the  manifestation  of  the  justice  of  Jehovah.  The 
Christian,  however,  who  has  come  to  a  knowledge  of 


Justice  Manifested 


41 


Jehovah  *s  plan,  and  sees  and  appreciates  his  pur- 
poses for  the  blessing  of  mankind,  can  rejoice  and 
does  rejoice  at  the  manifestation  of  divine  justice. 

^2  During  the  Christian  era  God  has  been  develop- 
ing a  church,  the  members  of  which  are  designated  as 
the  body  of  Christ.  (Philippians  1:  29;  Colossians  1: 
18)  These  are  also  designated  members  of  the  royal 
priesthood.  (1  Peter  2:9,10)  During  their  earthly 
career  they  are  counted  as  members  of  the  sacrificing 
priesthood,  of  which  Aaron  was  a  type.  Aaron  and 
his  sons  were  required  to  serve  before  the  Lord  in  the 
ceremonies  in  connection  with  the  tabernacle  in  the 
wilderness.  Two  of  Aaron's  sons  were  stricken  dead 
because  they  offered  strange  fire  before  the  Lord. 
Aaron  and  his  two  remaining  sons  were  forbidden  by 
the  Lord  to  mourn  the  death  of  their  kinsmen. 
Evidently  this  is  a  picture  which  shows  that  those 
who  have  come  to  a  loiowledge  of  the  divine  plan  do 
not  mourn  because  God  sentenced  our  first  parents 
to  death,  but  rather  that  they  will  rejoice  at  this 
manifestation  of  justice  when  they  understand  that 
it  was  necessary  in  order  that  the  great  plan  of  re- 
demption should  be  carried  out  as  outlined  by  Jeho- 
vah from  the  beginning.  And  when  we  see  and  appre- 
ciate this  divine  plan  we  can  truly  exclaim:  ''Great 
.and  marvellous  are  thy  worlds,  Lord  God  Almighty; 
just  and  true  are  tliy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints.'* — 
Revelation  15 : 3. 

men's  souls 

Against  what  did  God  manifest  his  justice  ?  Did 
he  sentence  the  body  or  the  soul  of  man  to  death  ?  Is 
it  true  that  the  soul  of  man  is  immortal;  and  if  so, 
how  could  God  put  it  to  death? 


42 


The  Harp  of  God 


It  is  profitable  to  define  terms  before  attempting 
to  discuss  them.  The  definition  given  should  be  sup- 
ported by  proof  from  the  Bible.  This  we  will  attempt 
to  do  before  answering  the  question  here  asked. 

Immortal  means  that  which  can  not  die ;  something 
that  can  not  be  destroyed  in  death.  Soul  means  a 
moving,  breathing,  sentient  creature,  or  being ;  a  crea- 
ture or  being  that  possesses  faculties  and  uses  them.  To 
understand  whether  or  not  a  soul  is  immortal  it  is 
first  essential  that  we  determine  from  the  Bible  what 
constitutes  a  soul.  **The  Lord  God  formed  man  of 
the  dust  of  the  ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils 
the  breath  of  life;  and  man  became  a  li\dng  soul." 
( Genesis  2:7)  The  word  soul  is  synonymous  with 
the  words  being,  creature,  and  man.  The  dust  out 
of  which  Jehovah  formed  the  body  was  not  conscious. 
It  had  no  life  in  it.  After  God  had  used  these  ele- 
ments to  form  the  man,  he  breathed  into  his  nostrils 
the  breath  of  lives,  which  animated  the  body,  caused 
the  lungs  to  begin  to  work,  sent  the  blood  tingling 
through  the  arteries  and  returning  through  the  veins ; 
therefore  there  resulted  a  moving,  breathing,  sentient 
being,  a  man,  which  is  a  soul.  The  body  aside  from 
the  breath  does  not  constitute  the  soul ;  but  it  requires 
the  uniting  of  the  breath  with  the  body  to  constitute 
the  soul.  And  when  we  separate  the  breath  from  the 
body  the  soul  no  longer  exists.  The  Scriptures  do 
not  say  that  God  breathed  into  this  body  immortality, 
but  merely  that  the  soul  resulted  by  animating  the 
body  after  it  had  been  created ;  and  this  resulted  from 
the  breath  vrhich  he  breathed  into  the  nostrils. 

A  locomotive  may  be  used  as  an  illustration.  It 
stands  upon  the  track  with  no  fire  in  the  box,  no  water 
in  the  boiler,  hence  no  steam.  "We  speak  of  it  as  a 
dead  engine.  Then  the  steam  is  produced  by  heating 


Justice  Manifested 


43 


the  water ;  it  is  forced  into  the  cylinders,  the  throttle 
being  open,  and  the  machine  moves.  Withdraw  the 
steam  and  it  stops. 

Just  so  with  man.  When  the  body  was  formed  it 
would  be  inanimate  and  inactive  without  breath. 
AYhen  the  breath  of  life  was  breathed  into  his  nostrils 
and  his  organs  began  to  functionate,  it  is  said  that 
man  then  was  a  breathing  creature;  hence  a  soul. 
When  he  ceased  to  breathe  he  was  dead. 

Man  is  a  soul.  He  does  not  possess  a  soul.  Every 
creature  that  breathes  is  a  soul.  God  applied  the 
words  living  soul  to  the  lower  order  of  animals  long 
before  man's  creation.  (Genesis  1:20,  margin)  That 
all  breathing  creatures  are  designated  as  souls  by  Je- 
hovah is  proven  by  these  words:  ''Levy  a  tribute 
unto  the  Lord  of  the  men  of  war  which  went  out  to 
battle :  one  soul  of  five  hundred,  both  of  the  persons, 
and  of  the  beeves,  and  of  the  asses,  and  of  the  sheep. " 
(Numbers  31:28)  All  souls  die  alike.  ''For  that 
which  befalleth  the  sons  of  men  befalleth  beasts; 
even  one  thing  befalleth  them:  as  one  dieth,  so  dieth 
the  other;  yea,  they  have  all  one  breath;  so  that  a 
man  hath  no  preeminence  above  a  beast:  for  all  is 
vanity.  All  go  unto  one  place :  all  are  of  the  dust,  and 
all  turn  to  dust  again. ' ' — Ecclesiastes  3 : 19,  20. 

In  the  manifestation  of  divine  justice  God  said  to 
Adam:  "Of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat :  .  .  .  for  in  the  day  that  thou 
eatest  thereof,  dying  thou  shalt  die."  (Genesis  2: 17, 
margin)  This  sentence  was  pronounced  against  man, 
the  being,  the  soul.  If  there  could  be  any  doubt  about 
this,  it  is  definitely  settled  by  another  statement  in 
the  Bible,  which  reads:  " The  soul  that  sinneth it  shall 
die.'*  (Ezekiel  18:4)  "What  man  is  he  that  liveth, 


44: 


The  Harp  of  God 


and  shall  not  see  death  ?  shall  he  deliver  liis  soul  from 
the  hand  of  the  grave  T '—Psalm  89:48. 

The  thought  of  immortal  souls  originated  with 
Satan  the  Devil.  He  approached  mother  Eve  and  said : 
*If  you  eat  of  tliis  tree,  you  shall  not  surely  die.' 
Jesus  denounced  this  statement  as  the  first  lie  ever 
told,  and  Satan  as  the  father  of  lies.  (John  8:4-1-) 
Satan  has  been  trying  to  blind  the  people  to  the  truth 
concerning  God's  great  plan  in  order  to  keep  them 
away  from  God  and  from  the  blessings  they  would 
receive  by  obeying  him.  The  apostle  says  of  Satan  that 
he  is  ''the  god  [mighty  one]  of  this  world",  meaning 
the  Devil 's  evil  organization ;  and  that  he  has 
blinded  the  minds  of  men  to  the  truth,  lest  the  glo- 
rious gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  should  shine 
into  their  hearts.  (2  Corinthians  4:4)  From  the  day 
of  Eden  until  now  Satan  has  been  blinding  the  minds 
of  men  to  the  truth  by  getting  into  their  minds  a  false 
conception  of  Jehovah's  arrangement;  and  the  basis 
for  this  blindness  is  chicfiy  the  lie  first  told:  "Ye 
shall  not  surely  die."  All  false  doctrines  are  based 
upon  this  first  lie. 

If  man  possessed  an  immortal  soul  it  could  not  be 
put  to  death.  Hence  we  see  that  God  would  be  un- 
able to  enforce  his  judgment  against  a  sinner,  and 
justice  would  fail.  The  Scriptures,  however,  plainly 
tell  us  that  the  quality  of  immortality  belongs  orig- 
inally only  to  Jehovah,  ''who  only  hath  immortality, 
dwelling  in  the  light  which  no  man  can  approach 
unto ;  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  can  see. "  (1 
Timothy  6: 16)  Immortality  will  be  given  as  a  great 
reward  to  faithful  Christians  and  to  none  other  of  the 
human  race.  Such  Christians  who  live  and  continue 
faithful  until  death  are  promised  the  divine  nature, 
immortality,  the  crovoi  of  life.  (2  Peter  1 : 4;  1  Peter 


Justice  Manifested 


45 


1 :  3,  4 ;  Romans  2:7;  Revelation  2 : 10)  We  may  be 
sure  that  a  man  does  not  seek  that  which  he  already 
possesses;  and  the  Apostle  Paul  plainly  says:  **Seek 
for  .  .  .  immortality.'*  And  again  he  says  to  those 
who  will  be  faithful  Christians:  ^'This  mortal  must 
put  on  immortality.'*  (1  Corinthians  15:53)  If  a 
soul,  a  man,  were  already  immortal,  he  could  not  sub- 
sequently put  on  immortality.  No  one  of  the  human 
race  will  ever  be  made  immortal  except  the  faithful 
Christians.  God  has  a  different  reward  for  others 
who  are  obedient  to  him. 

DEAD  UNCONSCIOUS 

^2  Another  of  Satan's  deceptions  by  which  he  has 
blinded  the  people  is  the  teaching  that  the  dead  are 
still  conscious  after  death.  This  is  not  supported  by 
the  Bible,  however.  Those  who  die  are  never  again 
conscious  unless  they  are  resurrected  by  the  Lord. 
The  resurrection  of  the  dead  we  will  discuss  later  on. 
If  the  soul  were  immortal  it  would  be  conscious  some- 
where. Let  us  observe  the  scriptures  which  show  that 
the  dead  are  not  conscious. 

* '  In  death  there  is  no  remembrance  of  thee :  in 
the  grave  who  shall  give  thee  thanks?"  (Psalm  6:5) 
Thus  is  shown  that  they  have  no  memory  while  dead. 
**The  dead  praise  not  the  Lord,  neither  any  that  go 
down  into  silence."  (Psalm  115:17)  Hence  they 
could  not  speak  while  dead. 

®*  The  dead  can  not  breathe,  think,  or  feel.  * '  Thou 
takest  away  their  breath,  they  die,  and  return  to  their 
dust."  (Psalm  104:  29)  ''His  breath  goeth  forth,  he 
returneth  to  his  earth ;  in  that  very  day  his  thoughts 
perish."  (Psalm  146:  4)  A  person  when  unconscious 
does  not  feel.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  when 
a  person  is  taken  to  a  hospital  for  an  operation  the 


4G 


The  Harp  of  God 


sur^on  puts  the  patient  under  an  anestlietie,  puts 
him  to  sleep  so  that  he  can  not  feel  during  the  oper- 
ation. 

®^  Again  the  Scriptures  read :  *  *  The  living  know 
that  they  shall  die :  but  the  dead  knov/  not  anything. 
Also  their  love,  and  their  hatred,  and  their  envy,  is 
now  perished."  (Ecclesiastes  9:5,6)  Being  uncon- 
scious, they  know  not  anytliing  when  dead.  **V/hat- 
soever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  wdth  thy  might ; 
for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor 
wisdom,  in  the  grave,  whither  thou  goest." — Eccle- 
siastes 9 :  10. 

Again  spealdng  of  man,  God  says  of  him :  ''Never- 
theless man  being  in  honor  abideth  not :  he  is  like  the 
beasts  that  perish."  (Psalm  49:12)  Anything  that 
perishes  can  not  be  conscious,  can  not  be  in  existence, 
and  of  course  can  not  be  immortal. 

It  was  Jesus  who  said:  ''God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlast- 
ing life."  (John  3: 16)  Here  the  proof  is  conclusive 
that  death  means  the  perishing  of  all  unless  redemp- 
tion is  received  through  Jesus  Christ.  This  would  ab- 
solutely disprove  consciousness  of  the  dead  and  would 
disprove  also  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 

Death  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  as  a  sleep,  for  the 
reason  that  God  intends  in  his  due  time  to  awaken 
all  of  the  dead  and  give  them  an  opportunity  of  life. 
The  Bible  abounds  in  the  expressions  referring  to 
the  dead  as  asleep.  A  few  of  these  expressions  are: 
"David  slept  vrlth  his  fathers,  and  was  buried  in  the 
city  of  David."  (1  Kings  2:10)  "The  fathers  feU 
asleep."  (2  Peter  3:4)  "The  greater  part  remain 
unto  this  present,  but  some  are  fallen  asleep."  (1 
Corinthians  15:6)    "I  would  not  have  you  to  be 


Justice  Manifested 


47 


ignorant,  brethren,  concerning  them  which  are  alseep, 
.  .  .  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring 
[forth]  with  him  [in  the  resurrection]/' — 1  Thessa- 
lonians  4 : 13, 14. 

®*  We  must  conclude  f  rom  these  scriptures  that  the 
dead  are  wholly  unconscious  from  the  moment  of 
death  until  such  future  time  as  the  Lord  may  be 
pleased  to  awaken  them  out  of  death  and  give  them 
an  opportunity  of  life,  which  he  purposes  to  do,  as 
set  forth  in  his  great  plan.  (John  5 :  28,  29)  Man  was 
made  of  the  dust.  He  was  sentenced  to  return  to  the 
dust;  that  is,  the  condition  of  the  dead.  And  the 
Lord  said:  'They  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth 
shall  arise. ' — Daniel  12 :  2. 

DOES  GOD  TORMENT  ANT  ONE? 

For  a  long  time  men  have  been  taught  that  the 
punishment  for  the  wicked,  those  who  disobey  God, 
is  everlasting  torment  or  torture  in  a  hell  burning 
with  unquenchable  fire  and  brimstone.  JMany  have 
been  frightened  away  from  studying  the  Bible  be- 
cause of  this  terrible  doctrine.  Many  have  refused  to 
believe  in  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus  because  of  it.  It 
is  another  doctrine  of  Satan,  used  to  blind  the  people. 
The  doctrine  of  eternal  torment  can  not  be  true  for 
at  least  four  separate  and  distinct  reasons;  (1)  be- 
cause it  is  unreasonable;  (2)  because  it  is  repugnant 
to  justice;  (3)  because  it  is  contrary  to  the  principle 
of  love;  and  (4)  because  it  is  entirely  unscriptural. 

It  seems  strange  that  men  with  reasoning  facul- 
ties should  ever  reach  the  conclusion  that  the  all-wise 
Creator  would  eternally  torment  any  of  his  creatures. 
What  could  be  the  purpose  of  such  torment?  Could 
it  accomplish  any  good  ?  Would  it  result  to  the  glory 
of  God? 


The  Harp  of  God 


"2  There  could  be  no  eternal  torment  of  any  of 
God's  creatures  except  by  God's  will.  A  reasonable, 
loving  God  could  not  torrnent  any  of  his  creatures.  A 
Creator  that  would  put  in  operation  a  system  of  end- 
less torment  would  be  a  fiend  and  not  a  reasonable  God. 
Man  is  not  perfect,  yet  he  has  some  love.  God  is  per- 
fect. He  is  love.  A  man  or  a  child  would  not  torture 
his  horse,  his  dog,  or  his  cat. 

"  Suppose  we  have  a  dog  that  becomes  mad  and 
tries  to  bite  every  one  in  the  neighborhood.  He  must 
be  killed;  but  we  would  not  torment  the  poor  brute 
by  putting  it  into  a  slovv'  fire.  YVe  would  kill'  it  in 
the  easiest  way,  so  that  it  would  not  suffer  much  pain. 
Why  would  a  person  do  this?  Because  his  sense  of 
justice  and  love  would  deter  him  from  doing  anji:hing 
else.  I>Ian  has  not  as  much  love  as  God.  Everything 
that  God  does  for  man  he  does  for  man's  good. 

The  doctrine  is  unreasonable  because  no  one  could 
be  eternally  tormented  unless  that  one  were  eternally 
conscious ;  and  the  scriptures  above  cited  show  that 
the  dead  arc  not  conscious.  Furthermore,  there  could 
be  no  eternal  torment  of  the  soul  unless  that  soul 
were  inrmortal,  indestructible;  and  the  scriptures 
above  cited  and  all  other  scriptures  bearing  upon  the 
subject  show  that  man  is  not  immortal,  that  none  are 
granted  immortality  except  those  who  receive  it  as  a 
reward  for  right-doing  and  who  are  made  joint-heirs 
with  Christ  Jesus  in  his  glorious  kingdom.  Then  it 
is  easy  to  be  seen  that  this  is  a  doctrine  of  Satan ;  and 
the  two  doctrines  or  teachings  of  inherent  immortal- 
ity and  eternal  torture  must  stand  or  fall  together. 
And  since  they  are  both  false,  they  must  both  fall. 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  torture  is  uiijust,  because 
God  is  just.  Justice  is  the  foundation  of  his  throne. 
God  plainly  told  man  that  if  he  sinned  he  would  die. 


Justice  Manifested 


49 


If  thereafter  he  put  him  into  eternal  torment,  then  ho 
increased  the  penalty'  after  man  had  violated  the  law, 
end  this  is  contrary  to  every  principle  of  justice.  All 
of  Adam's  children  were  born  imperfect.  There  is 
none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one."  (Psalm  14:3) 
Eveiy  child  is  born  imperfect.  It  wonld  be  very  un- 
just for  Jehovah  to  permit  such  a  one  to  be  born  un- 
der conditions  over  which  he  had  no  control  and  then, 
because  he  could  not  obey  perfectly,  to  put  him  into 
eternal  torture.  Man's  sense  of  justice  is  shocked  at 
the  thous'ht  of  the  torture  of  any  creature.  The  jus- 
tice that  man  possesses  is  a  God-given  quality.  The 
more  Godlike  a  man  is  the  more  just  he  is.  We  must 
knov/,  then,  that  God  deals  justly  with  all  of  his 
creatures. 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  torm.cnt  is  devoid  of  the 
attribute  of  love.  Every  good  father  loves  his  chil- 
dren and  cliildren  love  their  father.  The  mother  loves 
the  children  and  the  children  love  the  mother.  ¥7hen 
the  children  are  disobedient,  it  becomes  necessary  for 
the  father  or  the  mother  to  discipline  them;  and 
sometimes  by  using  the  rod.  But  no  loving  parent 
would  for  a  moment  think  of  torturing  his  or  her 
child.  Just  punishment  is  always  for  the  purpose  of 
doing  ultimate  good,  and  where  the  parents  are  com- 
pelled to  punish  or  discipline  their  children  they  do 
it  because  they  love  them.  The  Apostle  Paul,  discuss- 
ing the  discipline  by  earthly  parents  and  by  God 
said:  ''We  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh,  which  cor- 
rected us,  and  we  gave  them  reverence :  shall  v/e  not 
much  rather  be  in  subjection  unto  the  Father  of 
spirits,  and  live?  For  they  verily  for  a  few  days 
chastened  us  after  their  own  pleasure ;  but  he  for  cur 
profit,  that  v/e  might  be  partakers  of  his  holiness." 
—Hebrews  12 :  9, 10. 


50 


The  Harp  of  God 


Only  a  wicked  fiend  would  want  to  torment  any- 
body, such  a  one  as  loves  dark  and  wicked  things. 

Our  great  God  is  love.  (1  John  4: 16)  ''God  is 
light,  and  in  him  is  no  darlmess  at  all."  (1  Johnl :  5) 
Everything  that  Jehovah  does  is  good.  God  created 
the  first  man  Adam  and  gave  him  the  power  to  trans- 
mit life  to  his  offspring.  All  the  human  race  are  the 
children  of  Adam.  Only  by  God's  permission  could 
these  children  have  come  into  existence.  Adam  was 
God's  son  and  all  the  human  race  descended  from 
Adam ;  and  thus  they  bear  relationship  to  J ehovah. 

None  of  Adam 's  children  were  bom  perfect.  Some 
were  born  under  very  depraved  conditions.  God's  love, 
then,  for  the  human  race  is  so  great  that  he  made 
provision  for  the  redemption  and  ultimate  blessing  of 
all,  and  it  would  be  wholly  inconsistent  with  his  at- 
tribute of  love  to  arrange  to  torture  any  of  them  at 
any  time.  The  doctrine  of  eternal  torment  is  a  libel 
upon  the  great  and  loving  name  of  God,  and  Satan 
is  responsible  for  it.  But  in  God's  due  time  he  will 
make  it  clear  to  all  tliat  he  is  love,  and  that  all  of 
his  dealings  with  the  human  race  are  for  their  good. 

The  eternal  torment  teaching  is  not  supported  by 
any  text  in  the  Bible.  There  are  some  texts  that  are 
written  in  symbolic  phrase,  parables  and  dark  say- 
ings, which  were  written  to  illustrate  another  great 
truth,  but  with  no  reference  to  the  eternal  punish- 
ment of  the  human  race.  These  scriptures  must  be 
considered  elsewhere.  Our  space  does  not  permit  us 
to  consider  them  here.  What  we  will  examine  are  the 
direct  Scriptural  statements. 

All  the  scriptures  show  that  the  wicked  will  be 
punished,  but  punishment  does  not  mean  torment. 
There  is  a  wide  distinction  between  everlasting  pun- 
ishment and  everlasting  torment.  Everlasting  punish- 


Justice  Manifested 


51 


ment  is  a  punishment  that  lasts.  Everlasting  torment 
would  be  a  torment  that  never  ends,  but  one  would  be 
consciously  suffering  all  the  time.  The  laws  of  the 
land  punish  the  wicked  who  Adolate  the  law,  and  the 
duration  of  punishment  is  short  or  long  in  proportion 
to  the  enormity  of  the  crime  committed.  One  who 
steals  a  loaf  of  bread  violates  the  law  and  he  may  be 
punished  by  confinement  for  a  day  or  a  month  in 
prison.  One  who  destroys  his  neighbor's  house  by 
fire  is  punished,  and  his  punishment  may  be  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  prison.  Another  takes  the  life  of  his 
neighbor,  and  his  punishment  is  death.  No  law  of 
any  nation  on  earth  permits  the  violator  of  the  law 
to  be  tormented.  The  stealer  of  bread  is  punished 
for  a  short  period;  the  one  who  destroys  the  home 
is  punished  for  a  longer  period;  and  the  one  who 
takes  his  neighbor's  life  deliberately  is  punished  by 
the  full  penalty  of  the  law,  and  his  punishment  is 
lasting.  Death  is  the  highest  penalty  inflicted  by  the 
law.  It  is  also  the  greatest  punishment  inflicted  by 
Jehovah.  Life  is  the  dearest  thing  to  any  creature, 
and  to  be  deprived  of  life  would  be  the  greatest  pun- 
ishment that  could  be  inflicted.  Therefore  eternal  or 
everlasting  death,  with  no  hope  of  a  resurrection, 
would  be  an  everlasting  punishment.  But  it  would 
not  be  an  everlasting  conscious  torture.  God  plainly 
declared:  ^'The  wages  of  sin  is  death''  (Romans  6: 
23),  and  not  eternal  torture. 

^2  Having  fixed  this  penalty,  God  could  not  change 
it  afterward,  because  God  could  not  be  inconsistent ; 
he  can  not  deny  himself.  (2  Timothy  2: 13)  It  was 
by  the  disobedience  of  one  man  that  sin  came  into  the 
world  and  death  as  the  result  of  sin;  so  death  has 
been  the  penalty  upon  all  mankind.  (Romans  5: 12) 
And  this  will  continue  until  God's  due  time  to  awak- 


52 


The  Harp  of  God 


en  them  out  of  death  and  give  all  an  opportunity  for 
life ;  and  this  we  will  discuss  later.  * '  The  Lord  pre- 
serveth  all  them  that  love  him :  but  all  the  wicked  will 
he  destroy.''  (Psalm  145:20)  The  apostle  plainly 
says  that  all  the  wicked  shall  be  punished  with  an 
everlasting  destruction. — 2  Thessaloninns  1 :  9. 

But  do  not  the  Vrdcked  go  to  hell  ? 
^*  It  is  true  that  all  who  have  died  from  Adam 
until  now  have  gone  to  hell.  But  hell  does  not  mean 
a  place  of  conscious  torture.  Wherever  the  word  *  *  hell '  * 
occurs  in  the  Bible  it  means  the  condition  of  death. 
Hell  is  not  a  place,  but  a  condition.  Those  who  go 
into  the  grave  are  not  conscious  there ;  but  they  have 
gone  into  the  death  condition.  Their  bodies  decay 
and  return  to  the  dust.  The  word  **heir'  is  translated 
from  the  Hebrew  word  slieol,  as  used  in  the  Old 
Testament.  This  same  word  is  a  number  of  times 
translated ' '  grave ' '  and  sometimes  *  *  pit ' In  the  New 
Testament  the  same  v>^ord  *'hell"  is  translated  from 
the  Greek  word  hades  and  likewise  means  grave,  the 
condition  of  death,  the  tomb. 

Some  Scriptural  illustrations  of  this  prove  that 
hell  means  a  condition  of  death.  Job  was  a  good 
and  godly  man,  who  tried  to  obey  Jehovah.  He  had 
suffered  the  loss  of  all  his  earthly  possessions  and 
then  his  neighbors  taunted  him  because  of  his  suffer- 
ing ;  and  while  he  was  thus  suffering,  he  prayed  that 
God  would  permit  him  to  go  to  hell,  saying:  ''O  that 
thou  wouldest  hide  me  in  the  grave  [sheol,  hell]  until 
thy  wrath  be  past."  (Job  14: 13)  He  desired  to  be 
hid  in  the  grave  until  the  time  of  the  resurrection, 
hoping  in  God's  promise  that  some  day  the  dead 
would  come  again.  Then  Job  says:  **If  I  wait,  the 
grave  is  mine  house :  I  have  made  my  bed  in  the  dark- 
ness. .  .  .  Our  rest  together  is  in  the  dust."  (Job  17: 


Justice  Manifested 


53 


13, 16)  Tims  he  pictures  the  grave  as  a  condition  of 
darloiess,  where  there  is  no  Imowledge,  no  wisdom  or 
device.  Again  he  said:  "[A  man's]  sons  come  to 
honour,  and  he  Imoweth  it  not ;  and  they  are  brought 
low,  but  he  perceiveth  it  not  of  them."  (Job  14:  21) 
Why?  Because  those  who  are  in  hcil,  in  the  tomb,  in 
the  grave,  in  the  condition  of  death,  have  no  knowl- 
edge of  anything.  They  are  out  of  existence,  waiting 
for  the  resurrection. 

Jacob's  beloved  son  Joseph  was  sold  into  Egypt 
by  his  brethren.  Joseph's  coat  was  dipped  in  the 
blood  of  an  animal  and  brought  to  Jacob,  and  it  was 
told  Jacob  the  father  that  his  son  Joseph  was  dead. 
In  his  grief  he  exclaimed:  will  go  do^^Ti  into  the 
grave  [sheol,  hell]  unto  my  son  mourning.''  (Genesis 
37:  35)  Jacob  was  a  good  man  and  approved  of  the 
Lord;  for  the  apostle  says  he  was.  (Hebrews  11:9, 
39)  Jacob  meant  that  he  was  going  to  the  grave,  to 
the  death  condition,  mourning  for  his  beloved  son. 

Benjamin  was  Jacob's  youngest  son.  After  he 
lost  Joseph  his  affections  were  centered  upon  Benja- 
min. His  elder  sons  came  to  him  and  requested  that 
their  younger  brother  be  permitted  to  go  down  with 
them  to  Egypt.  Their  father  Jacob  objected  to  their 
taking  him,  saying,  "My  son  shall  not  go  dovvn  with 
you;  for  his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  is  left  alone:  if 
mischief  befall  him  by  the  way  in  which  ye  go,  then 
shall  ye  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  mth  sorrow  to 
the  grave  [sheol,  hell]."  (Genesis  42:  38)  We  knov/, 
then,  that  the  hell  here  described  could  not  be  a  place 
of  fire  and  brimstone,  for  the  gray  hairs  of  Jacob 
would  not  last  long  in  the  fire.  What  he  really  meant 
was  that  as  an  old,  gray-haired  man  he  would  go 
down  to  the  grave  in  sorrow  if  anj^thing  should  befall 
his  beloved  son. 


54 


The  Harp  of  God 


Jesus  came  to  earth  and  lived  and  died  and  was 
bnried;  and  it  was  written  of  him  that  he  went  to 
hell.  ''Thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell."  (Psalm 
16: 10)  If  hell  were  a  place  of  endless  torment  and 
Jesus  went  there  he  could  not  have  been  released.  The 
fact  that  he  did  not  remain  in  hell  is  proof  conclusive 
that  hell  is  not  a  place  of  eternal  torment. 

Jehovah  established  the  true  religion  in  the  earth, 
which  v/as  and  is  to  worship  him  and  glorify  his 
name.  Satan  established  a  false  religion  in  his  attempt 
to  be  like  the  Most  High.  God  established  his  cove- 
nant vath  the  nation  of  Israel  and  commanded  that 
they  should  keep  themselves  separate  and  distinct 
from  the  heathen  nations  round  about.  Satan  estab- 
lished a  false  religion  amongst  the  heathen  nations 
and  caused  them  to  worship  images  and  other  things 
aside  from  Jehovah.  These  heathen  idolaters  built  an 
altar  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom  for  the  purpose  of 
offering  sacrifices  to  their  gods.  The  Jews  forsook 
their  covenant  with  Jehovah  and  became  worshipers 
of  Baal,  one  of  Satan's  deified  ones.  In  practising 
Baal  worship  they  offered  their  children  as  sacrifices, 
and  upon  this  has  been  based  the  doctrine  of  torture 
by  fire,  concerning  which  J ehovah  says :  ' '  They  have 
built  also  the  high  places  of  Baal,  to  burn  their  sons 
with  fire  for  burnt  offerings  unto  Baal,  which  I  com- 
manded not,  nor  spake  it,  neither  came  it  into  my 
mind."  (Jeremiah  19:5)  Again  said  the  Lord: 
''They  built  the  high  places  of  Baal,  which  are  in 
the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom,  to  cause  their  sons 
and  their  daughters  to  pass  through  the  fire  unto 
Molech,  which  I  commanded  them  not,  neither  came 
it  into  my  mind,  that  they  should  do  this  abomina- 
tioii,  to  cause  Judah  to  sin."  (Jeremiah  32:  35)  The 
things  which  the  heathen  sacrificed  they  sacrificed  to 


Justice  Manifested 


55 


devils  and  not  to  God.  (1  Corinthians  10:20)  This 
false  or  devil  religion  establislied  amongst  the  delud- 
ed people  of  the  world  was  another  means  employed 
by  Satan  to  blind  the  minds  of  men  to  the  true  teach- 
ings of  the  divine  plan. 

*°  In  exercising  divine  justice,  Jehovah  at  no  time 
employs  torture;  but  he  denounces  such  doctrine  as 
an  abomination  in  his  sight.  Divine  justice  exercised 
destroys  the  evil  doers;  therefore  that  which  is  de- 
stroyed eternally  is  everlastingly  punished.  Some 
scriptures  proving  this  are :  ' '  Evil  doers  shall  be  cut 
off:  but  those  that  wait  upon  the  Lord,  they  shall 
inJierit  the  earth.  For  yet  a  little  while,  and  the 
wicked  shall  not  be;  yea,  thou  shalt  diligently  con- 
sider his  place,  and  it  shall  not  be.  .  ,  .  But  the 
wicked  shall  perish,  and  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  as  the  fat  of  lambs :  they  shall  consume ;  into  smoke 
shall  they  consume  away.  .  .  .  For  such  as  be  blessed 
of  him  shall  inherit  the  earth;  and  they  that  be 
cursed  of  him  shall  be  cut  off.  .  .  .  For  the  Lord 
loveth  judgment,  and  forsaketh  not  his  saints;  they 
are  preserved  for  ever:  but  the  seed  of  the  wicked 
shall  be  cut  off.  .  .  .  "Wait  on  the  Lord,  and  keep  his 
way,  and  he  shall  exalt  thee  to  inherit  the  land :  when 
the  wicked  are  cut  off,  thou  shalt  see  it.  .  .  .  The 
transgressors  shall  be  destroyed  together:  the  end  of 
the  wicked  shall  be  cut  off.''— Psalm  37 :  9, 10,  20,  22, 
28,  34,  38. 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  torment  is  a  wicked  def- 
amation of  Jehovah.  It  is  a  foul  stain  upon  his 
lovable  name.  The  chief  purpose  of  man  is  to  glorify 
God.  It  is  therefore  his  privilege  and  duty  to  remove 
from  the  minds  of  others  this  misconception  of  Jeho- 
vah and  enable  others  to  understand  that  God  is  in- 
deed love.  An  understanding  of  his  plan  shows  that 


5S 


The  Harp  of  God 


everything  he  does  is  prompted  by  love.  No  sooner 
had  he  sentenced  man  to  death  than  he  began  to  re- 
veal his  plan  for  his  redemption  and  ultimate  deliv- 
erance. The  more  clearly  we  see  and  understand  these 
great  truths,  the  more  do  we  rejoice  in  the  divine 
attribute  of  justice  and  the  divine  arrangement  in 
making  it  manifest. 

What  divine  attribute  is  mentioned  as  the  habitation  of 
God's  throne?  H  39. 

What  divine  attribute  devised  the  plan  of  God?  1[  39. 

Is  it  necessary  for  the  divine  attributes  to  operate  har- 
Dioniously?  1j  39. 

Is  God's  law  unchangeable?  IT  39. 

What  mental  effect  is  produced  upon  God's  creatures  by 
the  unchangeableness  of  his  law?  If  39. 

What  must  follow  violation  of  the  divine  law?  ^  39. 

What  is  the  prerogative  of  divine  justice?  ^  39. 

How  does  the  manifestation  of  divine  justice  affect  the 
name  and  dignity  of  Jehovah?  ?  39. 

Was  it  necessary  for  divine  justice  to  be  manifested  in 
order  for  divine  love  to  be  fully  exercised?  and  if  so,  why? 
1i  39. 

What  is  essential  to  a  proper  appreciation  of  divine 
loving-kindness?  f  39. 

Why  is  Jehovah  never  unjust  nor  unkind?  H  39. 

Does  Jehovah  make  mistakes?  1[  39. 

To  what  end  does  he  use  his  power?  H  39. 

What  is  symbolized  by  the  second  string  upon  the  harp 
of  God?  II  40. 

Define  good  and  evil.  H  41. 

"When  did  evil  become  active?  H  41. 

Did  Grod  compel  Adam  to  do  or  not  to  do  certain  things? 
?  41. 

What  punishment  did  God  prescribe  for  a  violation  of 
his  law?  H  41. 

Why  and  by  whom  was  Eve  induced  to  violate  the  law? 

•g  41. 

Why  did  Adam  violate  the  law  of  God?  %  41. 

To  whom  does  all  dominion  rightfully  belong?  ^  42. 


Justice  Manifested 


57 


What  dominion  did  God  give  to  man?  f  42. 

Why  did  Lucifer  induce  Eve  to  sin?  ^  42. 

What  did  Lucifer  meditate  in  his  heart?  %  42. 

What  ^Tas  the  cause  of  Lucifer*s  fall?  43. 

How  was  divine  justice  manifested  against  Lucifer?  If  43. 

By  what  names  is  Lucifer  known  since  his  fall?  Give 
the  meaning  of  each  of  tlie  names.  ^  43. 

Describe  how  the  Devil  induced  Eve  to  violate  God's 
law.  If  44. 

What  reply  did  Eve  make  to  the  Devil's  suggestion  that 
she  violate  God's  law?  ^  44. 

AVho  told  the  ti*uth,  God  or  Satan,  relative  to  the  result 
of  Eve's  act?  If  44. 

Could  the  fact  that  Eve  was  deceived  by  Satan,  in  any 
wise  change  the  penalty  of  the  law?  ^  45. 

What  did  Adam  and  Eve  do  after  they  had  violated  the 
divine  law?  If  4G. 

What  action  did  Jehovah  take  toward  them,  and  why? 
If  46. 

Give  the  details  of  the  judgiuent  or  sentence  pronounced 
by  Jehovah  against  Adtmi  and  Eve.  ^  4G. 

What  was  the  result  of  the  judgment  pronounced  against 
man?  ^  47. 

How  long  did  Adam  live  after  he  was  sentenced  to  die?  If  47. 
How  did  God  enforce  the  sentence  against  man?  If  47. 
Would  Adam  have  died  if  he  had  remained  in  Eden?  If  47. 
Why  does  a  parent  punish  his  clilld?  If  48. 
If  the  child  always  obej-ed,  would  punishment  be  neces- 
sary? If  48. 

What  is  one  of  the  chief  reasons  for  God's  permitting  man 
to  suffer  the  effects  of  wrongdoing?  ^  48. 

"Why  did  God  enforce  his  judgment  against  man?  What 
was  his  purpose?  If  49. 

What  motive  prompts  all  the  acts  of  Jehovah?  ^  49. 

The  manifestation  of  divine  justice  may  be  li'^encd  to 
what  chord  in  music?  and  why?  If  50. 

W^hat  did  the  sufTering  of  Job  picture  relative  to  the 
harp?  If  51. 

How  could  Adam  and  Eve  apply  the  sayings  of  Job  to 
themselves?  If  51. 

Has  the  world  of  mankind  ever  appreciated  the  mani- 
festation of  divine  justice?  and  why  not?  If  51. 


58 


The  Harp  of  God 


Why  can  a  Christian  appreciate  the  manifestation  of 
divine  justice  as  one  of  the  strings  of  God's  harp?  If  51. 

As  a  sacrificing  priest,  what  did  Aaron  typify?  1[  52. 

How  did  the  experiences  of  Aaron  and  his  sons  teach 
Christians  not  to  mourn  because  of  the  exercise  of  divine 
justice?  If  52. 

When  a  Christian  appreciates  the  divine  plan,  what  does 
he  say?  If  52. 

What  did  God  sentence  to  death,  the  soul  or  the  body?  Tf  53. 

If  the  soul  of  man  were  Immortal,  how  could  it  be  put 
to  death?  If  53. 

Is  it  important  for  us  to  define  terms  before  freely  using 
them  in  the  study  of  the  Bible?  ^  54. 

I>efine  immortality.  If  55. 

Define  the  soul.  ^  55. 

State  fully  the  Scriptural  account  of  how  the  soul  was 
created.  ^  55. 

Give  some  illustration  of  the  soul.  If  56. 

Does  man  possess  a  soul?  If  58. 

What  creatures  besides  man  are  souls?  Tf  58. 

Is  there  a  difference  in  the  manner  of  the  death  of  souls? 
If  58. 

Give  some  scriptures  to  show  that  the  soul  is  not  im- 
mortal. If  59. 

With  whom  did  the  term  "immortal  soul"  originate?  If  60. 

When  and  by  whom  was  the  first  lie  told?  ^  60. 

How  has  Satan  blinded  the  people?  and  what  has  been 
his  purpose  in  so  doing?  If  60. 

What  is  the  basis  for  all  false  doctrines?  If  60. 

If  all  souls  were  immortal,  how  could  God  destroy  a  wil- 
ful sinner?  ^  61. 

Who  possesses  the  quality  of  immortality?  If  61. 

To  whom  has  immortality  been  promised  as  a  reward? 
tf  61. 

Give  some  Scriptural  reason  why  men  are  not  inherently 
immortal.  If  61. 

What  other  false  doctrine  has  Satan  employed  in  deceiv- 
ing mankind?  ^  62. 

Are  the  dead  conscious  at  any  time  after  death?  If  62. 

Do  the  dead  remember  anything?  Do  they  praise  the 
Lord?  Tf  63. 

Can  the  dead  breathe,  think,  or  feci?  If  64. 


Justice  Manifested 


59 


Give  an  illustration  showing  that  the  dead  do  not  feel,  f  64. 
Do  the  dead  have  knowledge  or  wisdom?  Can  they  love 
or  hate?  H  65. 

Give  some  Scriptural  proof  that  death  means  to  perish, 
and  define  perish.  1[  66,  67. 

Why  is  death  sometimes  spoken  of  as  sleep?  Give  Scrip- 
tural proof.  If  68,  69. 

How  has  the  doctrine  of  eternal  torment  affected  many? 
If  TO. 

Who  is  responsible  for  the  doctrine  of  eternal  torment? 
H  TO. 

Give  four  reasons  why  eternal  torment  can  not  be  true. 
H  70. 

Would  eternal  torment  accomplish  any  good?  Would  it 
result  to  the  glory  of  God?  71. 

Could  any  creature  be  eternally  tormented  contrary  to 
the  will  of  God?  1[  72. 

Could  a  reasonable  God  torture  any  creature?  ^  72. 

Why  would  not  a  sane  person  torture  his  child  or  his 
dog?  H  73. 

Since  the  Scriptures  declare  that  God  is  love,  could  he 
torment  a  creature?  ^  73. 

Why  is  the  doctrine  of  eternal  torture  unreasonable?  H  74. 

Why  is  the  doctrine  of  eternal  torture  unjust?  If  75. 

Why  is  the  doctrine  of  eternal  torment  devoid  of  love? 
II  76-79. 

What  is  the  difference  between  everlasting  torment  and 
everlasting  punishment?  T[  81. 

What  is  the  severest  punishment  inflicted  for  the  viola- 
tion of  human  laws?  ^  81. 

What  is  the  severest  punishment  God  inflicts  for  the 
violation  of  his  laws?  T[  81. 

Could  God  change  the  penalty  for  the  violation  of  his 
law  after  the  penalty  has  been  once  fixed  and  the  law 
violated?  and  if  not,  why  not?  If  82. 

Do  not  the  wicked  go  to  hell?  ^  84. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  English  word  hell?  and  from 
what  words  has  it  been  translated?  ^  84. 

What  did  Job  say  about  going  to  hell?  1[  85. 

Is  any  one  conscious  while  in  hell?  ^  85. 

What  did  Jacob  say  about  going  to  hell?  and  whom  did 
he  expect  to  meet  there?  ^  86. 


60 


The  Harp  of  God 


If  hell  means  a  place  of  fiery  torment,  how  could  Jacob 
pi"€serve  his  gray  hairs  there?  H  87. 

Jesus  went  to  hell,  as  the  Scriptures  declare.  If  hell  is 
a  place  of  eternal  torment,  how  could  Jesus  get  out?  ^  88. 

What  religion  did  God  establish  on  earth?  ^  89. 

What  religion  did  Satan  establish  on  earth?  H  89. 

"What  does  Jehovah's  Word  say  about  burning  children 
in  fires  as  offerings  to  Baal?  If  89. 

To  whom  did  the  heathen  sacrifice  their  children?  If  89. 

What  has  been  Satan's  purpose  in  teaching  the  false 
religion?  ^  89. 

What  punishment  has  God  fixed  for  the  wilfully  wicked? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  90. 

What  is  man's  duty  toward  God  and  toward  his  fellow 
men  in  regard  to  teaching  the  doctrine  of  eternal  torment? 
H  91. 

now  are  we  affected  by  a  proper  understanding  of  the 
manifestation  of  divine  justice?  If  91. 


CHAPTER  IV 


String  3:     The  Abrahamic  Promise 

SOIME  time  after  Adam  and  Eve  were  driven  from 
Eden  children  were  born  to  them,  who  grew  to 
the  estate  of  manhood  and  womanhood  and  they  in 
turn  had  children.  Cain  obtained  his  wife  by  marry- 
ing his  sister.  Thus  the  peoples  of  earth  gradually 
increased.  They  all  wandered  about  in  the  earth, 
earning  their  bread  in  the  sweat  of  their  face.  Some 
of  these  children  were  bad  and  some  were  good.  God 
showed  his  favor  to  the  good,  as  he  always  favors 
those  who  are  good.  Satan  exercised  his  wicked  in- 
fluence amongst  the  people  and  most  of  them  turned 
to  evil. 

Noah  was  a  good  man  and  he  and  the  members  of 
his  family  served  the  Lord  Jehovah.  Sixteen  hundred 
years  and  more  passed  from  the  time  of  the  judgment 
in  Eden  (during  which  time  the  people  became  very 
wicked)  and  there  was  great  violence  in  the  earth. 
God  purposed  to  destroy  all  the  wicked  of  earth;  so 
he  directed  Noah  to  build  an  ark  and  to  take  into  the 
ark  the  members  of  his  family ;  and  this  done,  a  great 
flood  of  waters  came  upon  the  earth  and  all  living 
creatures  were  destroyed  except  those  in  the  ark. 
There  were  only  eight  persons  left  on  the  earth  after 
the  flood.  (Genesis  7 :  21-23  ;  1  Peter  3 :  20)  Noah  and 
his  sons  begat  children  and  the  peoples  of  earth  again 
increased.  Amongst  them  were  some  good  and  some 
bad.  Amongst  those  v/ho  tried  to  do  the  ^vill  of  God 
was  a  man  named  Abram,  which  name  was  later 

G3 


64 


The  Harp  of  God 


changed  to  Abraham.  He  is  spoken  of  in  the  Scrip- 
tures as  the  friend  of  God.  Abraham's  wife  was 
named  Sarah. 

^*Wlien  Abraham  was  seventy-five  years  of  age, 
Jehovah  said  to  him:  *'Get  thee  cut  of  thy  country, 
and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father's  house, 
anto  a  land  that  I  will  show  thee :  and  I  will  make  of 
thee  a  great  nation,  and  I  will  bless  thee,  and  make 
thy  name  great;  and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing:  .  .  . 
and  in  thee  shall  all  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed. ' ' 
(Genesis  12: 1-3)  Abraham  with  his  wife  and  others 
left  Haran  for  the  land  of  Canaan.  When  they  had 
reached  a  point  in  that  land  kno\vii  as  Sichem,  the 
Lord  appeared  unto  him  and  said:  *'Unto  thy  seed 
will  I  give  this  land."  Abraham  builded  an  altar 
there,  and  the  place  has  since  been  knov/n  as  Bethel, 
v/hich  means  the  house  of  God.  Afterv/ard  Abraham 
dwelt  in  the  plains  of  Mamre,  which  is  just  above  the 
present  site  of  Hebron  in  the  southern  part  of  Pales- 
tine. While  there,  God  made  a  covenant  with  him, 
saying:  *'Unto  thy  seed  have  I  given  this  land,  from 
the  river  of  Egypt  unto  the  great  river,  the  river 
Euphrates. ' ' — Genesis  15 : 18. 

Thereafter,  when  Abraham  was  ninety-nine  years 
old,  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  and  said:  ''I  will 
make  my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  will 
multiply  thee  exceedingly,  .  .  .  and  thou  shalt  be  a 
father  of  many  nations.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee, 
and  to  thy  seed  after  thee,  the  land  wherein  thou  art 
a  stranger,  all  the  land  of  Canaan,  for  an  everlasting 
possession;  and  I  will  be  their  God."  (Genesis  17: 
2,4,8)  Some  time  later,  v/hen  Abraham  was  sitting 
at  the  door  of  his  tent,  which  was  pitched  in  tlie 
plains  of  ]\Iamre,  there  stood  before  him  three  men, 
messengers  from  Jehovah.  In  the  plains  of  ]\Iamre, 


The  Ahraliamic  Promise 


65 


a  short  distance  above  the  town  of  Hebron,  still  stands 
a  very  ancient  oak  tree.  It  is  about  thirty  feet  in 
circumference.  It  is  claimed  that  this  is  Abraham's 
oak,  where  he  pitched  his  tent  at  the  time  these  holy 
messengers  appeared  to  him.  Of  coui'se  we  can  not 
believe  this  fs  true,  because  an  oak  would  not  live 
that  length  of  time.  It  is  interesting,  however,  to 
note  this  ancient  tree  standing  approximately  at  the 
point  where  Abraham  is  supposed  to  have  resided  in 
his  tent.  Here  it  was  that  Abraham  prepared  refresh- 
ments for  his  distinguished  visitors;  and  **he  stood 
by  them  under  the  tree,  and  they  did  eat".  Here  it 
was  that  the  messenger  of  Jehovah  told  Abraham  that 
he  and  his  wife  Sarah  would  be  given  a  son. — Genesis 
18 : 1-14. 

^®  In  due  time  a  son  was  born  unto  Abraham  and 
Sarah  and  Ms  name  was  called  Isaac.  (Genesis  21: 
1-3)  Afterward,  when  the  son  Isaac  had  grown  up, 
Jehovah  put  Abraham  to  a  great  test,  and  in  doing  so 
he  made  a  picture  which  foreshadowed  the  redemption 
of  the  human  race.  This  record  appears  in  the  twenty- 
second  chapter  of  Genesis.  God  said  unto  Abraham: 
'  *  Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son  Isaac,  whom  thou 
lovest,  and  get  thee  into  the  land  of  Moriah ;  and  offer 
him  there  for  a  burnt  offering  upon  one  of  the  moun- 
tains which  I  will  tell  thee  of."  (Genesis  22:2)  It 
is  interesting  here  to  note  that  Mount  Moriah  is  in- 
side of  the  walls  of  the  present  city  of  Jerusalem.  It 
was  the  site  of  the  temple  of  Solomon,  and  supposed 
to  be  the  very  spot  wiiere  Abraham  was  met  by  ]\Iel- 
chizedek.  It  is  the  place  where  Abraham  was  directed 
to  offer  and  did  offer  up  his  son  Isaac. 

Providing  himself  with  wood  to  be  used  for  the 
f.re,  Abraham  and  his  son  and  servants  journeyed 
for  three  days  from  the  plains  of  Mamre  to  Moriah ; 


66 


The  Harp  of  God 


and  arriving  there,  he  at  once  prepared  for  the  burnt 
offering.  Isaac  was  not  aware  of  the  purpose  of  his 
father  to  offer  him ;  so  he  said  to  his  father:  Behold 
the  fire  and  the  wood;  but  where  is  the  lamb  for  a 
burnt  offering?  And  Abraham  said,  My  son,  God 
will  provide  himself  a  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering.'* 
Abraham  then  informed  his  son  that  he  was  to  be 
the  offering.  Then  he  bound  Isaac  and  laid  him  upon 
the  altar  and  stretched  forth  his  hand  and  took  the 
knife  with  which  to  slay  his  son.  This  was  a  great 
test  to  Abraham's  faith.  Isaac  was  his  only  son  and 
he  loved  him  dearly ;  but  Jehovah  had  commanded 
him  to  offer  him  up  as  a  sacrifice,  and  because  of  his 
love  for  Jehovah  he  proceeded  to  obey  God's  com- 
mand. As  he  raised  his  hand  to  strike  dead  his  only 
beloved  son,  ''the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  him 
out  of  heaven,  and  said,  Abraham,  .  .  .  Lay  not 
thine  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do  thou  any  thing 
unto  him:  for  now  I  know  that  thou  fearest  God, 
seeing  thou  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son, 
from  me."  When  Abraham  looked  he  saw  a  ram 
caught  in  a  thicket  nearby  and  he  took  the  ram  and 
offered  it  for  a  burnt  offering. 

Then  ' '  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  Abra- 
ham .  .  .  the  second  time,  and  said,  By  myself  have 
I  sworn,  saith  the  Lord;  for  because  thou  hast  done 
this  thing,  and  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only 
son ;  That  in  blessing  I  vdll  bless  thee,  and  in  multi- 
plying I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  in  the 
heaven,  and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon  the  sea  shore ; 
and  thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gate  of  his  enemies: 
and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed:  because  thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice." — Gen- 
esis 22 : 15-18. 


The  Ahrahamic  Promise 


67 


®®  In  this  wonderful  picture  Abraham  was  a  type  of 
Jehovah,  while  Isaac  was  a  type  of  Jesus,  the  beloved 
Son  of  Jehovah.  Abraham's  offering  his  beloved  son 
on  the  altar  pictured  how  God  in  due  time  would 
offer  his  only  beloved  Son  as  a  great  sacrifice  that 
mankind  might  be  redeemed  from  death  and  have  an 
opportunity  to  live.  Abraham  did  not,  as  indeed  he 
could  not,  understand  God's  purposes,  for  the  reason 
that  Jehovah  did  not  reveal  them  to  him;  but  he 
knew  that  God  had  here  made  a  covenant  with  him 
and  bound  it  with  his  oath;  and  that  by  these  two 
certain  and  unchangeable  things,  his  word  and  hia 
oath,  God  would  carry  out  his  covenant  in  due  time, 
and  that  covenant  would  result  in  the  blessing  of  all 
the  fa^milies  and  nations  of  earth. 

100  r^^Q  y^QY^  covenant  means  contract ;  and  it  is  the 
solemn  form  for  expressing  a  compact,  agreement,  or 
contract  between  parties,  or  particularly  on  the  part 
of  one  whereby  he  promises  to  do  a  certain  thing. 
With  Jehovah  a  covenant  or  a  contract  is  sacred  and 
inviolate,  because  Jehovah  changes  not.  (Malachi 
3:6)  Having  promised  it,  he  will  fulfil  it.  (Hebrews 
6: 18)  It  is  always  necessary  that  there  be  two  par- 
ties to  a  contract.  There  may  be  more.  Where  one 
party  only  is  bound  to  do  a  certain  thing  that  con- 
tract is  called  unilateral,  or  one-sided;  and  where 
both  parties  are  bound  to  perform  certain  things,  the 
contract  is  called  bilateral,  or  two-sided. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  oathbound  covenant 
that  Jehovah  made  with  Abraham  contained  no  con- 
ditions or  limitations,  but  was  merely  a  promise  of 
Jehovah  bound  by  his  oath,  and  is  therefore  properly 
called  a  unilateral  or  one-sided  covenant;  for  the 
reason  that  God's  purpose  was  and  is  to  carry  out 
his  plan  to  bless  the  human  race,  regardless  of  what 


68 


The  Harp  of  God 


any  one  may  or  may  not  do.  There  was  no  need  for 
him  to  make  any  conditions  to  the  covenant.  He  mere- 
ly announced  his  benevolent  purpose  toward  mankind. 
The  covenant  does  not  even  say  that  the  blessing  of 
the  people  will  follow  upon  the  condition  that  Abra- 
ham should  do  a  certain  thing,  or  that  the  people 
should  seek  him.  The  covenant  does  not  say  that 
eveiy  person  will  be  blessed  with  life  everlasting ;  but 
it  does  say  that  all  the  families  of  the  earth  shall  be 
blessed,  which  means  that  every  one  must  in  God's 
due  time  have  a  full,  fair  opportunity  for  life  ever- 
lasting. It  means,  further,  that  in  God's  due  time 
knowledge  will  be  brought  to  all  in  order  that  every 
one  may  avail  himself  of  the  opportunity  thus  pro- 
vided for  life.  It  means,  furthermore,  that  assistance 
will  be  given  to  every  one,  that  he  may  profit  by  this 
blessed  opportunity ;  and  all  who  prove  their  loyalty 
under  the  test  that  wall  come  by  reason  of  the  oppor- 
tunity will  be  granted  life  everlasting. 


How  was  tlie  earth  originally  peopled?  ^  C2. 
Where  did  Caiu  get  his  wife?  H  92. 
To  whom  does  Jehovah  show  his  favor?  ^  92. 
What  effect  does  Satan's  influence  have  on  the  people?  H  02. 
"What  kind  of  man  was  Noah?  and  whom  did  he  serve? 
H  93. 

Vvliy  did  Jehovah  direct  Noah  to  build  the  ark?  If  93. 

How  many  persons  escaped  destruction  at  the  time  of  the 
flood?  and  who  were  they?  H  93. 

How  was  the  earth  peopled  after  the  flood?  If  93. 

What  man  is  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  as  the  friend 
of  God?  and  what  was  the  name  of  his  wife?  If  94. 

What  v.-as  the  age  of  Abraham  when  God  spoke  to  him? 
and  what  did  Jehovah  say?  If  94. 

What  was  Abraham's  native  land?  and  to  what  land  did 
he  go  in  obedience  to  God's  command?  If  94. 


The  Ahrahamic  Promise 


69 


At  what  places  did  Abraham  stop  in  Canaan  that  are 
specially  mentioned  in  the  Bible?  If  94. 

What  promise  did  God  make  to  Abraham  at  Bethel?  and 
what  promise  did  he  make  while  Abraham  dwelt  in  the 
plains  of  Mamre?  If  94. 

Describe  the  place  of  Abraham's  residence  at  the  time 
Jehovah  promised  him  a  son.  Quote  the  Scriptural  account. 
If  95. 

How  many  sons  did  Abraham  have  by  his  wife  Sarah? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  96. 

To  what  special  test  did  God  put  Abraham  with  reference 
to  his  son  Isaac?  ^  96. 

Describe  in  detail  the  offering  of  Isaac.  If  97. 

Repeat  God's  promise  to  Abraham  at  the  time  of  his 
offering  of  Isaac.  If  98. 

Whom  did  Abraham  typify  in  this  offering?  and  of  wiiom 
was  Isaac  a  tj^pe?  If  90. 

What  did  the  offering  of  Isaac  picture?  If  99. 

Did  Abraham  understand  the  full  meaning  of  God's  prom- 
ise? ^  99. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "covenant"?  If  100. 
How  does  God  regard  his  covenants?   Give  Scriptural 
proof.  ^  100. 

How  many  parties  are  required  to  make  a  covenant?  If  100. 
Where  only  one  party  is  bound,  what  kind  of  covenant 
is  it?  If  100. 

Where  both  parties  are  bound  to  perform  certain  things, 
then  what  do  we  call  the  covenant?  If  100. 

Why  was  God's  covenant  with  Abraham  a  one-sided  cove- 
nant? If  101. 

What  is  the  important  statement  of  the  Abraharaic  cove- 
nant or  promise?  Tf  101. 

Wl-.om  will  the  Abrahamic  covenant  ultimately  affect? 

H  101. 


70 


The  Harp  of  God 


"IS  IT  COME?** 

Poet  and  seer  that  question  caught, 

Above  the  din  of  life's  fears  and  frets; 
It  marched  with  letters,  it  toiled  with  thought. 

Through  schools  and  creeds  which  the  earth  forgets. 
And  statesmen  trifle,  and  priests  deceive, 

And  traders  barter  our  world  away; 
Yet  hearts  to  that  golden  promise  cleave, 

And  still,  at  times,  "Is  it  come?"  they  say. 

The  days  of  the  nations  bear  no  trace 

Of  all  the  sunshine  so  far  foretold; 
The  cannon  speaks  in  the  teacher's  place; 

The  age  is  weary  with  work  and  gold ; 
And  high  hopes  wither,  and  memories  wane; 

On  hearths  and  altars  the  fires  are  dead; 
But  that  brave  faith  hath  not  lived  in  vain ; 

And  this  is  all  that  our  watcher  said. 


— Broicn. 


CHAPTER  V 


String  4:    The  Birth  of  Jesus 

IT  HAS  pleased  Jehovah  to  use  men  and  women  to 
picture  or  foreshadow  various  parts  of  his  plan. 
For  instance,  Abraham  at  times  pictures  or  repre- 
sents God;  while  Sarah  his  wife  was  used  to  picture 
or  typify  God's  covenant  \\dth  Abraham  through 
which  he  promised  to  bring  forth  the  seed  for  the 
blessing  of  all  the  families  of  the  earth.  Sarah 
was  tlie  mother  of  Isaac,  her  only  son.  Isaac  v/as  used 
to  typify  or  foreshadow  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Redeemer  of  the  world.  Hagar  had  a  son  by  Abra- 
ham, and  Hagar  typified  or  foreshadowed  the  law 
covenant,  which  was  made  by  Jehovah  with  Moses  as 
a  mediator  for  the  children  of  Israel  in  Ej.^ypt.  As 
Hagar  was  a  bondwoman,  the  servant  of  Sarah,  so 
was  the  law  covenant  one  of  bondage  that  broiiglit 
forth  no  real  blessings  to  the  Jev/s ;  but  it  was  made 
for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  Jews  their  inability 
to  lift  themselves  up  to  life  and  to  show  them  the 
absolute  necessity  for  a  redeemer.  After  the  death  of 
his  wife  Sarah,  Abraham  m.arried  Keturah  and  by 
her  had  many  children;  and  Keturah  is  used  as  a 
type  foreshadowing  the  nev/  covenant  that  is  made  by 
Jehovah  v/ith  Christ  as  the  Mediator  for  the  world 
of  mankind,  and  through  which  all  v/ill  have  an  op- 
portunity to  gain  life  everlasting. 

103  rpj^g  Apostle  Paul  speaks  of  these  figures  or  pic- 
tures relating  to  the  covenants,  as  follows:  "For  it  is 
written,  that  Abraham  had  two  sons;  the  one  by  a 

73 


74 


The  Harp  of  God 


bondmaid,  the  other  by  a  freewoman.  But  he  who 
was  of  the  bondwoman  was  born  after  the  flesh ;  but 
he  of  the  freewoman  was  by  promise.  Which  things 
are  an  allegory :  for  these  are  the  two  covenants ;  the 
one  from  the  mount  Sinai,  which  gendereth  to  bond- 
age, which  is  Agar.  For  this  Agar  is  mount  Sinai 
in  Arabia,  and  answereth  to  Jerusalem  which  now  is, 
and  is  in  bondage  with  her  children.  But  Jerusalem 
which  is  above  is  free,  wliich  is  the  mother  of  us  all. 
For  it  is  written,  Rejoice,  thou  barren  that  bearest 
not ;  break  forth  and  cry,  thou  that  travailest  not ;  for 
the  desolate  hath  many  more  children  than  she  which 
hath  an  husband.  Now  we,  brethren,  as  Isaac  was, 
are  the  children  of  promise."  (Galatians  4:22-28) 
Isaac  pictures  the  entire  Christ,  head  and  body:  Je- 
sus the  Head,  the  church  the  body  members. 

It  is  noted  that  God's  covenant  with  Abraham 
stated  that  there  would  be  an  offspring  or  seed  which 
would  bless  all  the  families  of  the  earth.  This  seed 
is  the  Redeemer,  Christ  Jesus,  the  Savior  of  the 
world;  and  by  adoption  into  the  family  of  God  the 
true  Christians,  the  church,  the  members  of  Christ's 
body,  become  a  part  of  that  seed  **And  the  scrip- 
ture, foreseeing  that  God  would  justify  the  heathen 
through  faith,  preached  before  the  gospel  unto  Abra- 
ham, saying,  In  thee  shall  all  nations  be  blessed.  Now 
to  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the  promises  made.  He 
saith  not,  And  to  seeds,  as  of  many ;  but  as  of  one, 
And  to  thy  seed,  which  is  Christ. " — Galatians  3 :  8, 16. 

Before  the  blessing  promised  could  come  to  the 
peoples  of  earth,  the  seed  which  was  promised  must 
first  come.  The  Israelites,  otherwise  called  Jev/s, 
therefore  expected  that  one  of  the  natural  descendants 
of  Abraham  would  become  their  king  and  that  through 
that  king  and  his  kingdom  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 


The  Birth  of  Jems 


75 


v/ould  be  blessed  by  receiving  the  benefits  first  given 
to  them.  For  this  reason  the  faithful  Jews  looked 
forward  with  great  expectancy  to  the  birth  of  the  one 
who  was  to  be  their  king.  They  based  their  hopes 
upon  the  repeated  promise  made  by  Jehovah.  With- 
out doubt  it  was  thought  by  some  that  Isaac,  the  son 
of  Abraham,  would  be  the  one  through  whom  the 
blessing  would  come.  After  the  death  of  Abraham, 
. . .  God  blessed  his  son  Isaac ;  and  Isaac  dwelt  by  the 
well  Lahai-roi.**  (Genesis  25:11)  When  Isaac  was 
about  sixty  years  old  there  were  born  to  him  and  his 
wife  Hebekah  two  sons,  twins,  who  were  named  by 
them  Esau  and  Jacob. — Genesis  25 :  26. 

Isaac  then  went  to  live  in  the  land  of  the  Philis- 
tines, and  while  there,  God  said  to  him:  Sojourn  in 
this  land,  and  I  will  be  v/ith  thee,  and  will  bless  thee : 
for  unto  thee,  and  unto  thy  seed,  I  will  give  all  these 
countries ;  and  I  will  perform  the  oath  which  I  sware 
unto  Abraham  thy  father.  And  I  will  make  thy  seed 
to  multiply  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  will  give  unto 
thy  seed  all  these  countries ;  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed. ' '  ( Genesis  26 :  3,  4) 
Thus  the  Abrahamic  promise  was  renewed  to  Isaac. 
Before  the  death  of  Isaac,  he  pronounced  his  blessing 
upon  his  son  Jacob,  and  Jacob  thereby  became  the 
successor  of  his  father  to  the  Abrahamic  promise. 

Under  the  rule  of  descent,  the  firstborn  or  eldest 
son  was  the  heir  of  the  father's  estate  and  any  other 
rights  or  privileges  that  went  with  that  estate,  unless 
for  some  cause  there  should  be  an  exception  to  the 
rule.  Esau  having  been  born  a  few  moments  before 
his  brother  Jacob,  under  the  operation  of  this  rule 
would  be  the  successor  of  the  Abrahamic  promise  and 
heir  to  his  father.  His  birthright,  therefore,  would 
include  the  promise  made  to  Abraham.  But  the  Lord 


76 


The  Harp  of  God 


clearly  indicated  that  there  should  be  an  exception  to 
the  rule  in  this  case  and  that  Jacob  should  be  the  heir 
and  not  Esau.  When  it  was  known  that  the  mother 
would  bear  two  sons,  and  just  before  the  time  of  their 
birth,  Rebekah  the  mother  inquired  of  the  Lord  con- 
cerning the  expected  children  and  the  Lord  said  unto 
her  that  two  sons  would  be  born  to  her  and  that  the 
elder  should  serve  the  younger.  (Genesis  25:22,23) 
This  definitely  shows  that  it  was  God's  purpose  that 
Jacob,  who  was  bom  last,  should  be  the  heir  and 
successor  to  the  Abrahamic  promise, 

108  These  two  sons  grew  to  manhood 's  estate.  Esau 
became  a  great  hunter  and  loved  the  outdoor  sports ; 
while  Jacob  was  a  plain  man,  remaining  quietly  at 
home.  Esau  showed  that  he  did  not  appreciate  the 
birthright,  viz.,  the  Abrahamic  promise,  even  if  it 
were  his,  which  in  fact  it  was  not,  since  God  had  fore- 
ordained that  it  should  belong  to  Jacob.  Esau  thought 
more  of  his  o-wn  selfish,  immediate  comfort  than  any- 
thing that  might  come  to  him  by  reason  of  this  prom- 
ise. On  one  occasion  he  was  in  the  field  hunting.  He 
returned  hungry  and  faint.  He  found  that  J acob  had 
prepared  a  pot  of  lentils.  Yfhen  Esau  smelled  this 
appetizing  food  he  said  to  Jacob:  **Fced  me,  I  pray 
thee,  with  that  same  red  pottage;  for  I  am  faint: 
.  .  .  and  Jacob  said.  Sell  me  this  day  thy  birthright. 
And  Esau  said.  Behold,  I  am  at  the  point  to  die ;  and 
what  profit  shall  this  birthright  do  to  me?  And  Jacob 
said,  Swear  to  me  this  day;  and  he  sware  unto  him: 
and  he  sold  his  birthright  unto  Jacob.  Then  Jacob 
gave  Esau  bread  and  pottage  of  lentils;  and  he  did 
eat  and  drink,  and  rose  up,  and  went  his  v/ay.  Thus 
Esau  despised  his  birthright. ' ' — Genesis  25 :  27-34. 

Genuine,  real  right  and  title  to  the  birthright  was 
now  Jacob's  for  two  good  and  sufficient  reasons:  (1) 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


77 


becanse  it  was  so  ordered  by  the  Lord  before  his  birth, 
as  above  stated ;  and  (2)  because  he  had  bought  it  in 
an  open  and  fair  transaction  with  his  brother  Esan. 
These  two  brothers  were  not  mere  children  at  this 
time.  They  were  past  forty  years  of  age  (Genesis 
26 :  34),  both  capable  of  entering  into  a  contract ;  and 
they  made  a  contract  which  was  binding  upon  both. 

Notwithstanding  these  two  good  reasons  why 
Jacob  was  justly  entitled  to  the  birthright,  Esau 
attempted  to  deprive  him  of  it.  The  birthright  car- 
ried with  it  the  privilege  of  the  special  blessing  from 
their  father.  Isaac  was  old  and  his  eyes  were  dim,  so 
that  he  could  not  see ;  and  he  knew  that  the  day  of 
his  death  might  be  near.  (Genesis  27:1,2)  He  di- 
rected his  son  Esau  to  go  into  the  field  and  take  some 
venison  and  bring  it  to  him  that  he  might  eat,  and 
give  Esau  his  blessing. 

The  Bible  does  not  clearly  show  that  Isaac  knew 
God  had  foreordained  that  this  birthriglit  should  be- 
long to  Jacob,  nor  that  he  knew  Esau  had  sold  it  to 
Jacob;  therefore  we  can  excuse  the  old  father  for 
thinking  it  was  his  duty  to  bestovr  his  blessing  upon 
his  son  Esau.  Rebekah  the  mother,  however,  knowing 
of  both  these  reasons  why  Jacob  was  entitled  to  the 
birthright,  Imomng  that  Esau  did  not  appreciate  it, 
and  knowing  of  his  wrongful  intent  to  deprive  his 
brother  J acob  of  the  privileges  and  blessings  incident 
to  the  birthright,  advised  Jacob  what  to  do  in  order 
to  protect  his  own  rightful  and  proper  interests.  The 
mother  therefore  was  carrying  out  God's  will  in  this 
respect.  She  was  doing  what  all  honest  persons  should 
do,  try  to  protect  the  rights  and  privileges  of  those 
that  are  near  and  dear  to  them.  She  therefore  directed 
Jacob  to  slay  two  kids  of  the  goats  and  bring  them 
to  her  and  she  prepared  some  savory  meat ;  and  then. 


78 


The  Harp  of  God 


in  order  th?vt  the  blind  father  mia^lit  not  o"h^inn+o''y 
refuse  to  aid  them  in  carrying  out  the  divine  purposes, 
and  in  order  that  he  miglit  think  he  was  blessing 
Esau,  the  mother  Ecbekah  fastened  upon  the  arms  of 
her  son  Jacob  the  skins  of  the  kids  and  also  put  the 
sldns  about  liis  neck  that  he  Vv^ould  appear  as  a  hairy 
man  like  unto  his  brother  Esau. 

Jacob  then  came  in  before  his  father  and  pre- 
sented the  savory  meat.  His  father  kissed  him  and 
laid  his  hand  upon  him  and  gave  to  Jacob  his  bless- 
ing. The  old  father  then  spoke  in  prophetic  plirase, 
evidently  under  the  direction  of  the  Lord,  saying 
unto  his  son  Jacob:  "Let  people  serve  thee,  and  na- 
tions bow  doAvn  to  thee:  be  lord  over  thy  brethren, 
and  let  thy  mother's  sons  bow  down  to  thee:  cursed 
be  every  one  that  curseth  thee ;  and  blessed  be  he  that 
blesscth  thee."— Genesis  27:29. 

Almost  immediately  Esau  returned  from  the 
field  and  found  that  Jacob  had  received  his  father's 
blessing  and  that  he  (Esau)  had  been  unsuccessful  in 
carrying  out  his  purpose  of  defeating  the  open  and 
fair  transaction  v/liicli  he  had  made  with  Jacob  when 
he  had  sold  his  birthright.  He  hated  his  brother 
Jacob  and  determined  to  kill  him  as  soon  as  his  father 
Isaac  was  dead. 

It  seems  rather  strange  that  many  Christian 
people  have  severely  criticized  Jacob  and  his  mother 
Eebekah  in  tliis  transaction.  It  has  evidently  been 
due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  ignorant  of  the  record. 
No  part  of  Jacob's  action  in  connection  viiih.  tlie 
birthright  is  reprehensible.  Everything  v.dth  reference 
to  Esau  is  reprehensible.  God  subsequently  showed 
that  Esau  pictured  the  peoples  of  earth  who  are 
Christians  in  name  only,  but  not  in  truth  and  in  fact, 
who  are  hypocritical,  and  who  persecute  the  true 


The  Birth  of  Jesus  79 

Christians ;  while  Jacob  pictured  or  foreshadowed  the 
true  followers  of  Christ  who  have  been  misrepresented 
and  persecuted  by  the  merely  nominal  Christians. 
God  showed  his  approval  of  the  conduct  of  Jacob  and 
his  mother  Rebekah,  and  showed  that  it  was  his  pur- 
pose and  intention  that  Jacob  should  receive  the  bless- 
ing going  with  the  birthright.  Jacob  had  shown  his 
great  desire  for  the  birthright,  which  was  merely  a 
promise;  while  Esau  had  despised  it.  Acting  upon 
the  advice  of  his  mother,  Jacob  now  fled  from  the 
wrath  of  Esau;  and  as  he  went  away,  he  lay  do^vn 
and  slept  at  a  place  situated  north  of  the  present  site 
of  Jerusalem  and  which  afterward  he  named  Bethel, 
which  means  the  house  of  God.  There  he  had  a  dream, 
in  which  God  signified  his  approval  of  Jacob  and 
pronounced  a  blessing  upon  him. 

115 ' '  lighted  upon  a  certain  place,  and 

tarried  there  all  night,  because  the  sun  was  set :  and 
he  took  of  the  stones  of  that  place,  and  put  them  for 
his  pillows,  and  lay  dovm  in  that  place  to  sleep.  And 
he  dreamed,  and,  behold,  a  ladder  set  up  on  the  earth, 
and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven :  and,  behold,  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  on  it.  And, 
behold,  the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  said,  I  am  the 
Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God  of 
Isaac :  the  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give 
it,  and  to  thy  seed ;  and  thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust 
of  the  earth;  and  thou  shalt  spread  abfoad  to  the 
v/est,  and  to  the  east,  and  to  the  north,  and  to  the 
south :  and  in  thee  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  fami- 
lies of  the  earth  be  blessed.  And,  behold,  I  am  with 
thee,  and  will  keep  thee  in  all  places  whither  thou 
goest,  and  will  bring  thee  again  into  this  land;  for 
I  will  not  leave  thee,  until  I  have  done  that  which 
I  have  spoken  to  thee  of." — Genesis  28: 11-15. 


80 


The  Harp  of  God 


Whom  God  approves  and  blesses  all  others  should 
approve.  We  may  be  assured,  then,  that  Jacob  was 
blameless  before  Jehovah  in  this  transaction.  It  shows 
how  carefully  Jehovah  was  guarding  his  promise  and 
the  seed  which  would  spring  from  it  ultimately  and 
through  w^hich  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be 
blessed. 

Some  years  later  God  showed  his  further  favor 
to  Jacob  by  changing  his  name  from  Jacob  to  Israel. 
The  name  Israel  means.  He  will  rule  as  God.  ''And 
God  said  unto  him.  Thy  name  is  Jacob:  thy  name 
shall  not  be  called  any  more  Jacob,  but  Israel  shall 
be  thy  name:  and  he  called  his  name  Israel.  And 
God  said  unto  him,  I  am  God  Almighty:  be  fruitful 
and  multiply;  a  nation  and  a  company  of  nations 
shall  be  of  thee,  and  kings  shall  come  out  of  thy  loins ; 
and  the  land  which  I  gave  Abraham  and  Isaac,  to 
thee  I  will  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee  will  I 
give  the  land."  (Genesis  35 : 10-12)  According  to  the 
promise  given  to  Jacob  at  this  time,  a  nation  should 
spring  forth  of  him. 

Jacob  had  twelve  sons.  There  were  bom  to  him 
by  his  wife  Leah  the  sons  Reuben,  Simeon,  Levi,  Ju- 
dah,  Issachar,  and  Zebulun ;  and  by  his  "wife  Rachel, 
Joseph  and  Benjamin.  His  other  sons  were  Dan, 
Naphtali,  Gad,  and  Asher.  Jacob's  vdie  Rachel  was 
tlie  most  beloved  by  him,  and  she  was  the  mother  of 
his  beloved  son  Joseph.  After  Jacob  had  been  de- 
prived of  Joseph's  presence  and  fellowship,  he  de- 
voted his  afiections  to  Benjamin,  the  other  son  by  his 
beloved  wife  Rachel.  The  Scriptures  show  that  these 
two  sons  typified  those  who  will  be  born  on  the  spirit 
plane,  Joseph  being  a  type  of  the  royal  family  of 
heaven;  while  Benjamin  t^T^ified  the  great  company 


The  Birth  of  J esus 


81 


or  tribulation  class  born  on  a  spirit  plane  lower  than 
those  possessing  the  divine  nature. 

Jacob  spent  his  last  days  with  his  family  in 
Egypt.  Just  before  his  death  he  called  before  him 
his  sons,  that  he  might  bestow  upon  them  his  last 
blessings.  From  this  time  forward  dates  the  history 
of  the  nation  of  Israel.  While  pronouncing  the  bless- 
ing upon  his  various  sons,  he  said  concerning  his  son 
Judah:  *'Judah  is  a  lion's  whelp ;  from  the  prey,  my 
son,  thou  art  gone  up:  he  stooped  down,  he  couched 
as  a  lion,  and  as  an  old  lion ;  who  shall  rouse  him  up  ? 
The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  law- 
giver from  between  his  feet,  until  Shiloh  come ;  and 
unto  him  shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be.'' 
(Genesis  49:  9, 10)  This  prophetic  promise  definitely 
shows  that  the  mighty  One  to  come,  through  whom 
the  blessings  of  the  people  would  flow,  must  spring 
from  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  word  Shiloh  being  one 
of  the  titles  applied  to  the  great  Prince  of  Peace,  the 
Deliverer,  the  Savior  of  manldnd. 

After  the  death  of  Jacob  his  offspring  were 
kno^^Ti  as  the  children  of  Israel,  or  Israelites.  Joseph 
J    when  a  lad  had  been  sold  into  Egypt,  had  grown  to 
I    manhood,  had  become  a  mighty  man  and  ruler  in 
!    Egypt  under  the  king,  and  was  dwelling  there  in 
1    power  and  glory  when  his  father  Jacob  and  the  other 
members  of  his  family  moved  into  Egypt  to  live. 
During  the  lifetime  of  Joseph  the  Israelites  were  well 
treated.  After  his  death,  however,  a  new  king  came 
to  the  throne  of  Egypt,  who  began  to  oppress  and 
persecute  the  Israelites.   God  raised  up  Moses  and 
used  him  to  deliver  the  Israelites  from  the  land  of 
Egypt  and  the  oppressive  hand  of  Egypt's  king. 

We  incidentally  remark  that  here  are  some  other 
pictures  foreshadowing  portions  of  the  divine  plan. 


82 


The  Harp  of  God 


Eg>T)t  under  the  rule  of  a  wicked  Idng  pictures  or 
represents  thxe  world  of  mankind  in  darkness  under 
the  rule  of  the  unrighteous  one,  Satan,  who  is  the  god 
of  this  world.  The  Israelites  in  Egypt  picture  the 
people  of  God  and  those  who  shall  ultimately  come 
into  harmony  with  him ;  while  ]\Ioses  was  a  type  fore- 
shadowing the  great  ]\Iessiah,  who  is  to  deliver  all 
mankind  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  death. 

Lloses  was  a  prophet  of  God ;  and  God  spoke 
through  Moses,  using  him  as  a  mouthpiece  or  mes- 
senger. After  the  Lord  had  delivered  the  children  of 
Israel  from  Egypt  by  the  hand  of  I^.Ioses,  he  spoke 
through  Moses,  who  prophesied  unto  Israel,  saying: 
' '  The  liord  thy  God  will  raise  up  unto  thee  a  Prophet 
from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy  brethren,  like  unto  me ; 
unto  him  yo,  shall  hearken."  (Deuteronomy  18:15; 
Acts  3:22)  From  that  time  forward  the  Israelites 
watched  and  waited  for  the  coming  of  the  great 
Prophet,  Priest,  and  King  who  should  be  like  unto 
IMoses  and  of  whom  Moses  was  a  picture  or  a  type. 
They  Imev^r  that  such  a  one  must  come  from  the  house 
of  Judah,  because  God  had  promised  as  much.  David 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  Judah. — Lul^e  3:  31-34. 

123  pi-om  time  to  time  God's  prophets  gave  utter- 
ance to  words  that  kept  alive  in  the  minds  of  the 
Israelites  the  hope  that  God  would  send  them  a  mighty 
One,  through  vv^hom  the  promise  made  to  Abraham 
would  be  fulfilled.  In  time  this  promise  was  specif- 
ically limited  to  the  house  of  David,  the  Lord  causing 
his  prophet  to  write  thus :  * '  The  Lord  hath  sworn  in 
truth  unto  Da\dd,  he  will  not  turn  from  it;  Of  the 
fruit  of  thy  body  will  I  set  upon  thy  throne.  If  thy 
children  will  keep  my  covenant,  and  my  testimonj^ 
that  I  shall  teach  them,  their  children  shall  also  sit 
upon  thy  throne  for  evermore." — Psalm  132: 11, 12. 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


83 


David  himself  was  a  prophet  of  Jehovah,  and 
the  Lord  spoke  through  him  with  reference  to  the 
heir  of  the  Abrahamic  promise  who  should  be  king 
over  Israel.  ''Then  David  the  king  stood  upon  his 
feet,  and  said,  Hear  me,  my  brethren,  and  my  people : 
As  for  me,  I  had  in  mine  heart  to  build  an  house  of 
rest  for  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord,  and  for 
the  footstool  of  our  God,  and  had  made  ready  for  the 
building :  but  God  said  unto  me,  Thou  shalt  not  build 
an  house  for  my  name,  because  thou  hast  been  a  man 
of  war,  and  hast  shed  blood.  Howbeit  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel  chose  me  before  all  the  house  of  my  father 
to  be  king  over  Israel  for  ever:  for  he  hath  chosen 
Judah  to  be  the  ruler;  and  of  the  house  of  Judah, 
the  house  of  my  father;  and  among  the  sons  of  my 
father  he  liked  me,  to  make  me  king  over  all  Israel : 
and  of  all  my  sons  (for  the  Lord  hath  given  me  many 
sons)  he  hath  chosen  Solomon  my  son  to  sit  upon  the 
throne  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  over  Israel.  And 
he  said  unto  me,  Solomon  thy  son,  he  shall  build  my 
house  and  my  courts :  for  I  have  chosen  him  to  be  my 
son,  and  I  will  be  his  father.  Moreover  I  will  estab- 
lish his  kingdom  for  ever,  if  he  be  constant  to  do  my 
commandments  and  my  judgments,  as  at  this  day." 
—1  Chronicles  28 :  2-7. 

125  Thus  far  the  di\dne  record  definitely  establishes 
the  fact  that  the  great  heir  or  king  of  Israel,  the  seed 
through  which  the  blessings  of  God  would  be  bestowed, 
I    must  come  through  David's  line;  and  that  also  it 
I    should  come  through  Solomon,  provided,  of  course, 
the  conditions  laid  upon  Solomon  were  fulfilled.  In 
any  event,  it  must  come  through  David's  line,  and 
through  his  son  Solomon  provided  Solomon  met  the 
requirements.   AVe  repeat  the  words  for  emphasis: 
Moreover  I  will  establish  his  kingdom  for  ever,  if 


The  Harp  of  God 


lie  he  constant  to  do  my  commandments  and  my  judg- 
ments, as  at  this  day/'  And  then  David  said:  '*And 
thou,  Solomon  my  Son,  Imow  thou  the  God  of  thy 
father,  and  serve  him  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  with 
a  willing  mind:  for  the  Lord  searcheth  all  hearts, 
and  understandeth  all  the  imaginations  of  the 
thoughts :  if  thou  seek  him,  he  will  be  found  of  thee ; 
but  if  thou  forsake  him,  he  will  cast  thee  off  for 
ever."— 1  Chronicles  28:  9. 

126  rpj^g  question  is.  Did  Solomon  receive  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Lord?  If  so,  the  great  Messiah  must 
come  through  his  line.  If  not,  then  he  could  not  come 
through  Solomon.  This  question  is  answered  by  the 
Scriptures,  as  follows:  ''For  it  came  to  pass,  when 
Solomon  was  old,  that  his  "svives  turned  away  his 
heart  after  other  gods:  and  his  heart  was  not  per- 
fect with  the  Lord  his  God,  as  was  the  heart  of  David 
his  father.  .  .  .  And  the  Lord  was  angry  with  Solo- 
mon, because  his  heart  was  turned  from  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel,  which  had  appeared  unto  him  twice,  and 
had  commanded  him  concerning  this  thing,  that  he 
should  not  go  after  other  gods:  but  he  kept  not  that 
which  the  Lord  commanded.  Wherefore  the  Lord  said 
unto  Solomon,  Forasmuch  as  this  is  done  of  thee,  and 
thou  hast  not  kept  my  covenant  and  my  statutes, 
which  I  have  commanded  thee,  I  will  surely  rend  the 
kingdom  from  thee,  and  will  give  it  to  thy  servant. 
Notwithstanding,  in  thy  days  I  will  not  do  it,  for 
David  thy  father's  sake:  but  I  will  rend  it  out  of 
the  hand  of  thy  son.  Howbeit  I  will  not  rend  av/ay 
all  the  kingdom;  but  will  give  one  tribe  to  thy  son 
for  David  my  servant's  sake,  and  for  Jerusalem's 
sake,  which  I  have  chosen. ' ' — 1  Kings  11 :  4,  9-13. 

After  Solomon 's  death  the  nation  of  Israel  was 
divided.   The  last  three  kings  of  Solomon's  line  to 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


85 


rule  over  Israel  were  Jehoiakim,  Jehoiachin  (also 
called  Coniah)  and  Zedeldah.  Zedekiah  became  a 
wicked  ruler  and  of  him  it  is  recorded:  ''And  thou, 
profane  and  wicked  prince  of  Israel,  whose  day  is 
come,  when  iniquity  shall  have  an  end,  thus  saith 
the  Lord  God,  Remove  the  diadem,  and  take  off  the 
crown ;  this  shall  not  be  the  same :  exalt  him  that  is 
lov/,  and  abase  him  that  is  high.  I  will  overturn, 
overturn,  overturn  it;  and  it  shall  be  no  more,  until 
he  come  whose  right  it  is;  and  I  will  give  it  [to] 
him."  (Ezekiel  21:25-27)  This  shows  a  complete 
overthrowing  of  the  line  of  Solomon  and  definitely 
settles  the  proposition  that  Messiah  could  not  be 
counted  through  the  line  of  Solomon,  but  must  be 
some  other  way.  Seemingly  God's  promise  to  bring 
the  mighty  Deliverer  through  the  line  of  David  had 
failed,  because  of  Solomon's  failure.  But  not  so. 
Da\dd  had  another  son,  whom  the  Lord  used.  Solo- 
mon's line  had  been  exalted.  Now  this  line  must  be 
abased,  and  the  lower  line  must  be  exalted. 

128  rpj^g  obscure  line  of  David  was  his  son  Nathan. 
!Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  a  direct  descendant  of 
Nathan  of  the  house  of  David. 

Jeremiah  prophesied  concerning  the  coming  of 
Messiah,  as  follows:  "Behold  the  day  is  coming,  saith 
the  Lord,  that  I  v/ill  raise  unto  David  a  righteous 
branch  and  a  king  shall  reign  and  prosper.  ...  In 
his  day  Judah  shall  be  saved,  and  Israel  shall  dwell 
safely ;  and  this  is  the  name  that  J ehovah  proclaim- 
eth  him,  Our  Righteousness. ' ' — Jer.  23 :  5,  6,  Young. 

Mary,  the  mother-to-be  of  Jesus,  was  approached 
by  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  who  said  to  her :  ' '  Fear  not, 
Mary ;  for  thou  hast  found  favor  with  God.  And,  be- 
hold, thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy  womb,  and  bring 
forth  a  son  and  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus.  He  shall 


86 


The  Harp  of  God 


be  great,  and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest ; 
and  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the  throne  of 
his  father  David:  and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be 
no  end.  Then  said  Mary  unto  the  angel,  How  shall 
this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man?  And  the  angel 
answered  and  said  unto  her:  The  holy  spirit  shall 
come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall 
overshadow  thee ;  therefore  also  that  holy  thing  which 
shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God. ' ' 
—Luke  1 :  30-35. 

Then  Mary,  seemingly  directed  by  the  power  of 
Jehovah,  said :  ' '  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and 
my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour.  For  he 
hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his  handmaiden :  for, 
behold,  from  henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me 
blessed.  For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great 
things;  and  holy  is  his  name.  And  his  mercy  is  on 
them  that  fear  him,  from  generation  to  generation. 
He  hath  shewed  strength  with  his  arm ;  he  hath  scat- 
tered the  proud  in  the  imagination  of  their  hearts. 
He  hath  put  do^vn  the  mighty  from  their  seats,  and 
exalted  them  of  low  degree."  (Luke  1:46-52)  Her 
words  draw  the  contrast  between  the  once  favored 
family  of  Solomon  and  the  humbler  family  of  Nathan, 
Solomon 's  family  being  abased  and  Nathan 's  now  ex- 
alted. Thus  the  proof  is  brought  forth  that  the  Lord 
did  raise  up  unto  David  a  righteous  branch. 

IN  EXPECTATION 

132  ipj^g  promise  made  to  Abraham,  which  was  subse- 
quently repeated  to  others,  thoroughly  impressed  the 
minds  of  the  devout  Israelites  with  the  thought  that 
at  some  future  time  there  would  be  born  of  a  woman 
of  the  Jewish  people  a  holy  child,  and  that  in  some 
way  to  them  not  understood  this  child  would  be  the 


The  Birth  of  Jesus  87 

means  of  blessing  all  the  families  and  nations  of  the 
earth.  They  expected  the  Jewish  nation  to  become 
the  greatest  nation  of  earth,  and  looked  for  all  other 
nations  to  flow  unto  it,  be  subservient  to  it  and  re- 
ceive their  blessings  through  it.  These  conclusions 
they  based  upon  the  words  of  the  prophets,  even 
I  though  they  did  not  fully  understand  the  meaning 
of  those  prophecies.  To  them  the  Prophet  Isaiah  had 
said:  *'And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days, 
I  that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  estab- 
I  lished  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  ex- 
I  alted  above  the  hills ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto 
it.  And  many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come  ye,  and 
let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house 
of  the  God  of  Jacob ;  and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways, 
and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths:  for  out  of  Zion  shall 
go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from 
Jerusalem.''  (Isaiah  2:2,3)  And  again:  ''For  unto 
us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given,  and  the  gov- 
ernment shall  be  upon  his  shoulder;  and  his  name 
shall  be  called  Wonderful  Counsellor,  The  mighty 
God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace. 
Of  the  increase  of  his  government  and  peace  there 
shall  be  no  end,  upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  upon 
his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to  establish  it  with 
judgment  and  with  justice,  from  henceforth  even  for 
ever.  The  zeal  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  will  perform 
this."— Isaiah  9:6,7. 

133  fpj^g  Prophet  Zechariah  said :  ' '  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  that  every  one  that  is  left  of  all  the  nations 
I     which  came  against  Jerusalem,  shall  even  go  up  from 
I     year  to  year  to  worship  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
I     and  to  keep  the  feast  of  tabernacles.  And  it  shall  be, 
that  whoso  will  not  come  up  of  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  unto  Jerusalem  to  worship  the  King,  the 


88 


The  Harp  of  God 


Lord  of  hosts,  even  upon  them  shall  be  no  rain/' — 
Zschariah  14 : 16, 17. 

These  prophecies,  while  relating  in  a  measure  to 
the  birth  of  Jesus,  had  only  a  partial  fulfilment  at 
that  time.  Their  far  greater  fulfilment  is  yet  future, 
as  we  shall  see. 

135  r^i^Q  birth  of  J esus,  the  greatest  event  in  the 
world's  history,  was  about  to  be  enacted.  Tv/o  thou- 
sand years  had  passed  since  God  had  made  the  prom- 
ise to  Abraham  of  the  coming  of  the  mighty  One 
through  whom  all  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be 
blessed.  During  that  time  Jehovah  was  executing  his 
preconceived  plan,  renewing  his  promise  to  keep  it 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  faithful,  and  shaping  the 
course  of  those  who  should  participate  in  this  great 
transaction.  And  now,  as  the  day  drew  near,  the 
stage  was  being  set. 

13G  rJ^Y^Q  place  selected  was  Bethlehem,  situated  on  an 
elevation  south  of  Jerusalem.  It  v/as  once  the  home  of 
Boaz,  whose  fields  the  beautiful  Moabitish  woman 
Ruth  had  gleaned  and  v\^hom  Boaz  redeemed  and 
afterward  took  as  his  wife.  Here  Jehovah  had  used 
Boaz  as  a  type  of  Christ  Jesus  and  Ruth  as  a  type 
of  the  church,  his  bride,  f  oreshadov.dng  things  to  come. 

^^"^  Later  Bethlehem  was  the  home  of  Jesse  and  of 
David  his  son.  The  name  David  implies  'beloved 
one' ;  and  it  was  here  that  he  was  anointed  to  be  king 
over  Israel,  from  which  time  he  tjT)ified  Jesus,  the 
mighty  Son  of  God.  Jehovali  had  selected  this  as  the 
birthplace  of  Jesus;  hence  here  the  birth  must  take 
place.— Matthew  2 :  5,  6  ;  Micah  5 :  2. 

^■'^  Away  to  the  north  in  Galilee  stood  the  humble 
and  despised  city  of  Nazareth.  It  was  the  home  of 
Joseph  the  carpenter,  a  meek,  little-known,  yet  honest, 
man.  lie  was  espoused  to  Mary.  We  should  expect 


The  Birth  of  J esus 


89 


that  Jehovah  would  time  everything  exactly ;  and  so 
he  did.  Authority  had  departed  from  Judah;  the 
Eomans  were  in  control  of  Palestine,  and  the  time  for 
the  birth  of  the  mighty  One  was  due.  Exercising  his 
perfect  wisdom  and  power,  Jehovah  was  overruling 
all  things  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose. 
Augustus  Cssar,  then  the  emperor  and  ruler  over 
all  Palestine,  issued  a  decree  that  all  the  people 
should  be  taxed.  Every  one  must  go  to  the  city  of 
his  nativity,  there  to  be  numbered  and  taxed.  Joseph 
the  carpenter,  although  a  resident  of  Nazareth,  was 
of  the  house  of  David,  and  hence  must  go  to  the  city 
of  David  to  be  numbered  and  taxed.  Naturally  his 
espoused  virgin  would  accompany  him  to  that  city. 
She  likewise  was  of  the  house  of  David  through  an- 
otlier  line,  another  reason  why  she  should  go  there. 
But  above  all,  the  Lord  directed  them  there  because 
it  was  a  part  of  his  arrangement. 

At  that  time  there  vrere  no  means  of  easy  and 
rapid  transit.  It  was  a  long  journey,  a  tedious  and 
tiresome  one.  Joseph,  with  his  espoused  seated  upon 
an  ass,  journeyed  through  the  hills  along  the  Jordan 
probably  for  three  days,  and  late  in  the  evening 
reached  the  city  of  Bethlehem.  The  city  was  crowded ; 
the  private  homes  were  full ;  all  the  hotels,  inns,  and 
other  places  were  crowded  out.  Tired,  worn,  and 
Vv^cary  from  their  long  journey,  they  were  jostled  by 
the  crowd  in  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city.  Apply- 
ing to  various  places  for  lodging,  at  each  place  they 
were  turned  away ;  until  finally  they  found  a  location 
where  they  could  sleep  in  a  stall  with  the  cattle.  And 
they  retired  for  the  night's  repose. 

Over  the  brow  of  the  hill,  in  the  field  once  owned 
by  Boaz  and  gleaned  by  the  beautiful  Ruth,  the  faith- 
ful shepherds  were  watching  their  sheep.  According 


90  The  Harp  of  God 

to  custom,  they  had  four  watches  during  the  night. 
Some  would  watch  while  the  others  slept. 

The  earthly  st-age  was  now  set.  But  behold  that 
there  was  no  great  earthly  splendor  or  show!  In 
truth  the  condition  of  poverty  of  Joseph  and  his 
espoused,  and  the  like  poor  condition  of  the  shepherds 
who  were  now  shortly  to  be  used  of  the  Lord,  was 
the  only  fitting  way  that  we  should  expect  the  Lord 
would  have  it.  All  the  pomp  and  glory  of  earthly 
preparation  would  have  been  but  tawdry  tinsel,  de- 
tracting from  the  glorious  things  that  were  shortly 
to  follow.  Each  one  of  the  earthly  players  whom 
Jehovah  had  assigned  to  perform  a  part  upon  this 
stage  was  humble,  meek,  and  possessed  of  faith  in  the 
promises  of  God.  In  heaven  there  was  a  host  of  angels 
that  should  participate  in  the  great  drama ;  and  all 
the  hosts  of  heaven  were  witnesses  to  this  unparalleled 
and  never-again-to-be-performed  event. 

On  earth  it  was  night,  picturing  the  fact  that 
the  whole  world  was  lying  in  darkness  and  a  great 
light  was  coming  into  the  earth.  The  time  had  now 
arrived  for  the  birth  of  the  mighty  One,  and  all  the 
heavenly  hosts  were  awake  to  the  importance  of  the 
hour.  Doubtless  while  others  slept,  Mary  was  pon- 
dering in  her  heart  the  great  events  that  had  taken 
place  during  the  few  months  past ;  and  while  she  thus 
meditated  there  in  the  silence  of  that  night,  without 
pain  and  without  suffering  there  was  bom  to  her  Je- 
sus, the  Savior  of  the  world.  And  the  shepherds 
watching  their  sheep  in  the  field  were  attracted  by  the 
angel  of  the  Lord,  who  came  upon  them,  "and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round  about  them :  and  they 
were  sore  afraid.  And  the  angel  said  unto  them.  Fear 
not:  for,  behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great 
joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


91 


born  this  day,  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  which 
is  Christ  the  Lord/'— Luke  2:  9-11. 

143  ^hen  this  heavenly  messenger  had  finished  his 
v/onderful  speech  to  the  astonished  shepherds,  then  it 
was,  as  if  waiting  a  given  signal,  the  multitudinous 
heavenly  host  stood  forth  and  sang  the  good  tidings 
of  great  joy  which  ultimately  shall  be  to  all  people. 
Their  song  was  but  the  reflex  of  what  had  been  an- 
nounced. There  sweet  singers  told  in  words  of  praise 
of  God 's  beneficent  purpose  ultimately  to  bless  all  the 
families  of  the  earth.  It  was  a  song  of  glory  from 
heaven,  and  the  hills  of  Judea  echoed  the  message  of 
peace  and  good  will  toward  men.  And  throughout 
the  Christian  era  this  sweet  anthem  has  filled  with 
joy  the  heart  of  many  a  sad  wanderer ;  and  seemingly 
again  and  again  these  have  heard  the  song  from 
heaven:  ''Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth 
peace,  good  will  toward  men." 

The  world  is  now  entering  its  darkest  period, 
and  when  mankind  reaches  the  point  of  extremity, 
then  will  be  God's  opportunity  to  reveal  to  all  sad 
hearts  that  the  birth  of  Jesus  was  the  greatest  event 
in  history  to  that  time;  and  that  shortly  this  same 
great  Jesus,  now  in  glory,  will  extend  the  blessings 
of  life,  liberty  and  happiness  to  the  whole  groaning 
creation. 

The  place  of  Jesus '  birth  was  truly  according  to 
and  in  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  thus  showing  that  God 
had  foreordained  and  prepared  the  conditions  for  his 
birth.  (Micah  5:2;  Matthew  2:4-6)  Jesus  was  not 
born  on  December  25,  as  is  generally  supposed;  but 
his  birth  occurred  about  the  first  of  October.  Mid- 
winter v^-ould  have  been  a  very  inopportune  time  for 
the  shepherds  to  be  watching  their  sheep  in  the  fields 
and  sleeping  in  the  open.  In  addition  to  this  circum- 


92 


The  Harp  of  God 


stantial  evidence,  all  the  facts  show  that  the  birth 
of  Jesus  was  in  October,  and  that  December  25,  nine 
months  previous,  was  probably  the  date  of  the  annun- 
ciation. (Luke  1 :  30,  31)  For  a  full  discussion  of  this 
subject  see  Studies  in  the  Scriptures ^  Vol.  2,  page  54. 

^*^Much  has  been  said  and  written  concerning 
three  wise  men  Vv^ho  journeyed  from  the  east  to  pay 
their  homage  to  the  babe  Jesus,  born  in  Bethlehem. 
Particularly  at  Christmas  time  is  our  attention  called 
to  this  by  pictures  on  cards,  etc.,  of  the  wise  men 
journeying  to  the  west,  supposedly  being  guided  by 
the  star  sent  by  Jehovah.  It  has  been  presumed  that 
Jehovah  by  the  star  led  these  wise  men  to  the  place 
of  Jesus'  birth.  The  Bible  proof  shows,  however,  that 
these  wise  men  were  not  sent  by  the  Lord  God,  but 
that  they  were  directed  by  the  great  adversary,  the 
Devil,  in  his  attempt  to  destroy  the  babe.  Whether 
they  knew  it  or  not,  these  wise  men  were  parties  to  a 
great  conspiracy,  originated  and  carried  out  by  the 
master  mind,  Satan,  the  Devil,  in  his  attempt  to  de- 
stroy the  seed  of  promise,  the  great  Savior  of  the 
world. 

When  Jehovah  drove  Adam  and  Eve  from  Eden 
he  like-^\ase  pronounced  a  condemnation  upon  Satan. 
He  said  concerning  Satan  and  the  woman :  will  put 
enmity  between  .  .  .  thy  seed  and  her  seed;  it  shall 
bruise  thy  hcr.d,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel." 
(Genesis  3:  15)  From  that  time  forward  Satan  the 
great  adversary  has  attempted  to  destroy  every  one 
whom  God  has  favored  and  who  he  thought  might 
constitute  the  seed  of  promise. 

Jehovah  has  given  to  Satan  four  separate  and 
distinct  names,  all  of  which  have  a  deep  significance. 
Besides  the  name  Satan  he  is  designated  as  the  Drag- 
on, that  old  Serpent,  and  the  Devil.  Dragon  means 


The  Birth  of  J esus 


devourer  or  destroyer;  and  Satan  has  at  all  times 
been  seeking  to  destroy  or  devour  Jesus  and  his  true 
followers,  who  constitute  the  seed  of  promise.  His 
name  Satan  indicates  adversary ;  and  he  has  opposed 
in  every  way  the  development  of  the  new  creation, 
consisting  of  Jesus  and  his  bride.  His  name  Szrpent 
means  deceiver;  and  he  has  applied  all  of  his  v/ily 
methods  to  deceive,  and  as  Jcs  us  lias  declared,  he 
would  deceive,  if  possible,  the  very  elect,  but  God  v/ill 
not  permit  him  thus  to  do.  His  title  Devil  means 
slanderer;  and  he  has  constantly  carried  on  a  cam- 
paign of  slanderous  propaganda  against  the  people  of 
God  even  unto  this  day,  and  has  never  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity to  try  in  his  various  ways  to  destroy  them. 

When  it  was  announced  to  Mary  by  the  angel 
that  she  should  bring  forth  a  child  whose  name  should 
be  called  Jesus  and  that  he  would  be  the  Savior  of 
his  people,  Satan  recognized  this  promised  and  unborn 
babe  as  the  one  who  would  ultimately  bruise  his  head. 
The  Apostle  Paul  plainly  states  to  us  that  God  sent 
Jesus  into  the  world,  one  of  his  missions  being  ulti- 
mately to  destroy  the  Devil.  (Hebrews  2 : 14)  The  en- 
mity of  Satan  toward  the  seed  of  promise  has  never 
abated.  Learning  of  the  promised  birth  of  the  child, 
Satan  at  once  began  to  lay  his  plans  for  its  destruction. 
He  attempted  to  induce  IMary's  espoused  husband 
Joseph  to  put  her  away  and  cause  her  to  be  put  to 
death  under  the  terms  of  the  Mosaic  law;  but  God 
prevented  this  by  advising  Joseph  through  his  mes- 
senger in  a  dream  to  fear  not,  but  to  take  Mary  for 
his  wife.— Matthew  1 : 18-24. 

Stars  do  not  move  about  the  canopy  of  heaven  in 
such  manner  as  to  lead  men.  It  seems  unreasonable 
that  Jehovah  would  have  made  a  star  move  from  the 
east  and  stand  over  Bethlehem.  Satan  and  his  emis- 


94 


The  Harp  of  God 


saries,  the  demons  associated  with  him,  have  power  to 
produce  lights;  and  many  instances  are  cited  in  his- 
tory of  these  lights  appearing  near  the  earth.  The 
**star"  or  light  that  guided  the  wise  men  was  with- 
out doubt  such  a  light,  and  not  a  star  moved  by  the 
power  of  Jehovah. 

The  wise  men  residing  in  the  east  were  sorcerers 
and  magicians.  They  were  star-gazers.  They  were 
followers  of  the  false  religion.  They  sacrificed  to  and 
worshiped  the  Devil.  (1  Corinthians  10:  20)  Pharaoh 
the  king  of  Egypt  was  a  type  of  Satan  the  Devil; 
and  Pharaoh  used  wise  men  like  unto  these  messen- 
gers in  the  day  that  Israel  were  in  Egyptian  bondage. 
(Exodus  7 : 11)  These  were  devotees  of  astrologj^  and 
demon  worship.  Doubtless  many  of  them  were  sincere, 
but  they  were  the  dupes  of  a  false  religion  inaugur- 
ated by  Satan,  The  Biblical  record  definitely  fixes 
the  fact  that  Herod,  then  ruler  in  Jerusalem,  was 
a  wicked  man,  under  the  influence  of  Satan. 

152  ( <  ^Q^y  when  Jesus  was  bom  in  Bethlehem  of 
Judea,  in  the  days  of  Herod  the  king,  behold,  there 
came  wise  men  from  the  east  to  Jerusalem,  saying, 
Where  is  he  that  is  bom  King  of  the  Jews?  for  we 
have  seen  his  star  in  the  east,  and  are  come  to  wor- 
ship him."  (Matthew  2: 1,  2)  Be  it  noted  that  these 
wise  men  went  directly  to  Herod,  a  representative  of 
Satan.  If  the  star  guiding  them  was  sent  by  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  why  would  he  guide  them  to  Herod,  a  repre- 
sentative of  Satan,  and  a  mortal  enemy  of  the  babe 
Jesus?  If  the  sole  purpose  of  the  star  was  to  guide 
these  men  to  the  place  of  Jesus'  birth  there  was  no 
need  for  them  to  go  to  Herod  at  all.  The  reasonable 
answer,  then,  is  that  Satan  had  prepared  a  great  con- 
spiracy with  the  object  of  destroying  the  babe.  A 
conspiracy  is  a  design  to  commit  a  wrongful  act  in 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


95 


which  two  or  more  join  in  committing  the  act  or  some 
part  of  it.  Sometimes  persons  are  involved  in  a  con- 
spiracy and  participate  without  Imowing  the  real 
purpose  of  the  one  who  forms  the  conspiracy.  Such 
may  have  been  the  case  with  these  wise  men;  but 
without  doubt  Satan  had  formed  and  directed  it. 

153  ^hen  those  wise  men  came  into  the  presence  of 
Herod,  he  v/as  troubled,  because  he  feared  the  new 
king  would  interfere  with  his  reign ;  and  he  ' '  gath- 
ered all  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  of  the  people 
[the  seed  of  Satan  and  also  his  representatives — 
John  8 : 44]  together  and  demanded  of  them  where 
Christ  should  be  born " ;  in  other  words  he  demanded 
to  Imow  where  the  babe  Jesus  could  be  found.  Then 
Herod,  in  furtherance  of  the  conspiracy,  privately 
consulted  with  these  wise  men.  We  now  see  Herod 
manifesting  one  of  the  characteristics  of  Satan,  viz., 
deception,  in  this,  that  he  pretended  to  desire  to  find 
the  babe  Jesus,  that  he  himself  might  go  and  worship 
him;  whereas  all  the  facts  and  circumstances  show 
that  his  real  purpose  was  that  he  might  find  the  babe 
in  order  to  destroy  him.  '  *  Then  Herod,  when  he  had 
privily  called  the  wise  men,  inquired  of  them  dili- 
gently what  time  the  star  appeared.  And  he  sent 
them  to  Bethlehem,  and  said.  Go  and  search  dili- 
gently for  the  young  child ;  and  when  ye  have  found 
him,  bring  me  word  again,  that  I  may  come  and  wor- 
ship him  also.  When  they  had  heard  the  king,  they 
departed:  and,  lo,  the  star,  which  they  saw  in  the 
east,  went  before  them,  till  it  came  and  stood  over 
where  the  young  child  was.'* 

We  can  not  for  a  moment  believe  that  the  heav- 
enly Father  would  use  a  wicked  one  like  Herod  and 
aid  him  in  carrying  out  his  wicked  purpose  by  having 
a  star  to  direct  these  wise  men  to  the  place  of  Jesus' 


96 


The  Harp  of  God 


birth,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  king  had  demanded 
that  they  should  return  and  report  to  him,  and  when 
it  was  King  Herod's  purpose  to  destroy  the  ''young 
child".  The  fact  is  that  the  Devil  and  his  instru- 
ments, Herod  and  others,  would  have  succeeded  in 
this  wicked  conspiracy  and  have  caused  the  death  of 
the  child  Jesus  had  not  God  intervened  to  save  him. 

155  T^YiQ  ^vise  men  reaching  Bethlehem  found  the 
child  and  brought  their  presents  and  worshiped. 
Without  a  doubt  it  was  their  intention  to  return  and 
report  to  Herod.  And  the  result  of  such  a  return 
would  have  been  the  death  of  the  child.  But  God 
here  intervened  and  warned  them  in  a  dream.  These 
wise  magicians  relied  upon  dreams.  ''Being  warned 
of  God  in  a  dream  that  they  should  not  return  to 
Herod,  they  departed  into  their  own  country  another 
way. ' '  Satan  again  was  thwarted  in  his  wicked  purpose. 

156  rpj^^  ^^^^  intent  of  Herod  in  sending  these  wise 
men  is  disclosed  by  what  subsequently  happened. 
"Then  Herod,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  mocked  of 
the  \vise  men,  was  exceeding  wroth,  and  sent  forth, 
and  slew  all  the  children  that  were  in  Bethlehem,  and 
in  all  the  coasts  thereof,  from  two  years  old  and 
under,  according  to  the  time  which  he  had  diligently 
inquired  of  the  wise  men."  (Matthew  2: 16)  Deter- 
mined not  to  be  thwarted  in  his  purpose,  Satan  and 
his  instrument  Herod  were  willing  to  destroy  all  the 
babes  in  and  about  Bethlehem,  with  the  hope  of  de- 
stroying the  one  that  was  to  be  the  King  and  Savior 
of  the  world.  Jehovah  saved  the  Babe  Jesus  from  this 
slaughter  by  directing  his  mother  and  Joseph  to  take 
the  young  child  and  flee  into  Egypt,  which  they  did. 
—Matthew  2 : 13. 

157  would  not  be  justified,  then,  in  presuming 
that  God  was  using  these  devil  worshipers,  the  "wise 


The  Birth  of  J esus 


97 


men",  *'magians,"  magicians,  for  the  purpose  of  be- 
ing his  witnesses  to  the  birth  of  his  beloved  Son.  But 
on  the  contrary,  the  facts  show  that  it  pleased  him 
to  reveal  this  great  truth  to  the  shepherds  and  to 
use  them  as  his  witnesses. — Lulce  2 :  8-18. 

158  There  is  nothing  whatsoever  in  the  account  of 
this  experience  of  the  wise  men  to  indicate  that  their 
mission  was  in  any  ^vise  beneficial  to  mankind;  but 
the  most  charitable  view  we  can  take  of  it  is  that  they 
were  dupes  of  a  deep-laid  plot  by  Satan,  the  arch 
conspirator,  to  destroy  the  seed  of  promise ;  and  that 
Jehovah  let  the  conspiracy  proceed  to  the  point  where 
it  would  fully  demonstrate  the  wickedness  on  the  part 
of  Satan  and  his  instrument,  and  then  demonstrated 
his  great  protecting  power.  Without  a  doubt  Satan 
has  attempted  to  deceive  and  has  deceived  multitudes 
of  honest  people  into  believing  that  these  men  were 
the  mtnesses  of  the  Lord,  and  hid  from  their  minds 
the  fact  that  they  in  truth  and  in  fact  represented 
Satan. 

All  the  wicked  persecution  that  came  upon  the 
Lord  Jesus  afterward,  and  upon  liis  followers  to  this 
day,  has  been  because  of  the  influence  of  Satan  the 
Devil.  And  yet  at  all  times  the  Lord  has  protected 
his  ovvTi  at  the  very  critical  moment,  just  as  prom- 
ised :  ' '  The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  round  about 
them  that  fear  [reverence]  him,  and  delivereth  them. " 
—Psalm  34 : 7. 

HOW  UNDEFILED? 

Paul  says:  **As  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the 
world,  and  death  by  sin;  and  so  death  passed  upon 
all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned."  (Romans  5: 12) 
** There  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one."  (Psalm 
14:3)  These  scriptures  being  true,  and  since  Jesus 
was  born  of  a  woman,  was  he  not  bom  like  other 


The  Harp  of  God 


children  f  And  if  so,  was  he  not  a  sinner  like  others  ? 

Jesus  was  not  a  sinner.  He  was  born  pure,  holy, 
sinless,  without  spot  or  blemish.  He  was  not  begotten 
and  born  like  other  children.  While  he  was  born  of 
the  woman  Mary,  Joseph  was  not  his  father.  Joseph 
was  espoused  to  Mary,  Jesus'  mother,  and  before 
they  were  married  she  was  found  to  be  with  child. 
(Matthew  1:18)  Mary  was  a  virgin,  yet  she  was 
about  to  give  birth  and  did  give  birth  to  the  babe 
Jesus.  (Matthew  1:20,23)  The  holy  child  that  was 
bom  of  the  virgin  Mary  was  and  is  the  Son  of  God. 
—Luke  1 : 35. 

162  fpjjg  words  translated  in  our  Bibles  Holy  Ghost 
should  be  properly  translated  holy  spirit.  The  holy 
spirit  is  the  invisible  power  and  energy  of  Jehovah. 
God  is  holy ;  therefore  his  power  and  energy  are  holy. 
Father  means  life-giver.  Jehovah  is  the  Father  of 
Jesus  because  he  gave  life  to  Jesus;  hence  Jesus  is 
called  the  Son  of  God.  The  spirit  or  energy  of  Jeho- 
vah operating  upon  earthly  substance  produced 
earthly  creatures.  ( Genesis  2 :  7  ;  1  Corinthians  15 :  47 ) 
The  same  holy  power  and  energy  begat  the  child 
Jesus,  who  was  bom  of  his  mother  Mary.  Therefore 
the  life  of  Jesus  was  ^vithout  sin  or  imperfection.  The 
germ  of  life  of  him  who  was  born  Jesus  was  trans- 
ferred from  the  spirit  plane  or  nature  to  the  human 
plane  or  nature. 

Jesus  was  our  Lord 's  human  name.  It  implied 
his  humiliation  and  lowly  estate,  in  comparison  with 
the  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the 
world  was.  (John  17:5)  He  existed  long  before  he 
became  a  human  being.  His  prehuman  name  was  the 
Logos,  which  is  translated  in  our  common  version 
Bible  "the  Word".  The  word  Logos  is  therefore  one 
of  the  titles  of  Jesus  and  should  not  be  translated 


The  Birth  of  J esus 


99 


at  all.  It  means  the  spokesman,  active  agent,  or  mes- 
senger, of  Jehovah.  John,  writing  concerning  the 
Logos,  who  later  became  Jesus,  says:  *'In  the  begin- 
ning [which  means  the  beginning  of  God's  creative 
activity]  was  the  Logos,  and  the  Logos  was  with 
God  [the  God,  Jehovah],  and  the  Logos  was  God  [a 
mighty  one].  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with 
God  [the  God,  Jehovah].  All  things  were  made  by 
him  [the  Logos]  ;  and  without  him  [the  Logos]  was 
not  anything  made  that  was  made, ' '  he  was  the  active 
agent  of  J ehovah  in  maldng  all  things. — John  1 : 1-3. 

164  rpj^g  beginning  here  referred  to  could  not  mean 
the  beginning  of  God  the  Father,  because  he  is  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting  and  never  had  a  beginning. 
(Psalms  41:13;  90:2)  The  work  of  Jehovah,  how- 
ever, had  a  beginning,  and  his  creative  work  is  clear- 
ly what  is  here  meant.  The  Logos  was  the  first  and 
only  direct  creation  of  J  ehovah ;  and  thereafter  God 's 
creation  was  performed  through  his  Logos.  This  is 
the  thought  expressed  hj  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  said 
Jesus  ''is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn 
of  every  creature ;  for  by  him  were  all  things  created, 
that  are  in  heaven  and  that  are  in  earth,  visible  and 
invisible,  whether  they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or 
principalities,  or  powers ;  all  things  were  created  by 
him,  and  for  him :  and  he  is  before  all  things,  and  by 
him  all  things  consist". — Colossians  1: 15-17. 

^^^As  further  evidence  of  Jesus'  prehuman  exis- 
tence, we  have  his  own  words:  ''I  came  down  from 
heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me."  (John  6:  38)  ''I  proceeded  forth  and 
came  from  God;  neither  came  I  of  myself,  but  he 
sent  me."  (John  8:42)  Again:  ''Before  Abraham 
was,  I  am."  (John  8:  58)  Again:  "I  came  forth  from 


100 


The  Harp  of  God 


the  Father,  and  am  come  into  the  world:  again,  I 
leave  the  world,  and  go  to  the  Father. "  (John  16  :  28) 
**And  now,  0  Father,  glorify  thou  me  with  thine  ovm 
self,  with  the  glory  wliich  I  had  with  thee  before  the 
world  was."  (John  17:5)  Again  Jesus  said:  'I  am 
the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  God.'  (Eevelation 
3: 14)  Furthermore,  the  Apostle  Paul  under  inspira- 
tion states :  ' '  God  .  .  .  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken 
unto  us  by  his  Son,  whom  he  hath  appointed  heir  of 
all  things,  by  whom  also  he  made  the  worlds."  (He- 
brews 1:1,2)  And  again  he  states:  ''For  ye  Imow 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he 
was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye 
through  his  poverty  might  be  rich."  (2  Corinthians 
8:9)  He  was  in  the  form  of  God  before  he  became  a 
man.  "Who,  though  being  in  God  s  form,  yet  did  not 
meditate  a  usurpation  to  be  like  God,  but  divested 
himself,  taking  a  bondman's  form,  having  been  made 
in  the  likeness  of  men. ' ' — Philippians  2:6,1,  Diaglott. 

Some  have  earnestly  believed  that  J esus  was 
God  himself.  But  such  a  conclusion  is  not  warranted 
by  the  Scriptures.  John  said:  ''The  Father  loveth 
the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand." 
(John  3:  35)  Again  Jesus  said:  "The  Father  judg- 
eth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all  judgment  unto 
the  Son ;  that  all  men  should  honour  the  Son,  even 
as  they  honour  the  Father.  He  that  honoureth  not 
the  Son,  honoureth  not  the  Father  which  hath  sent 
him.  .  .  .  For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in  himself ; 
so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  himself. ' ' 
(John  5:22,23,26)  Again  Jesus  said:  "It  is  also 
written  in  your  law,  that  the  testimony  of  two  men 
is  true.  I  am  one  that  bear  witness  of  myself,  and 
the  Father  that  sent  me  beareth  witness  of  me." 
(Jolm  8: 17, 18)  Thus  Jesus  definitely  fixes  the  fact 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


101 


that  he  and  the  Father  are  separate  and  distinct 
beings. 

Again  Jesus  said :  ' '  My  Patlier,  which  gave  them 
me,  is  greater  than  all ;  and  no  man  is  able  to  pluck 
them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.  I  and  my  Father 
are  one."  (John  10:29,30)  It  may  be  asked,  Does 
this  not  prove  that  they  are  one  being?  Our  answer 
is  that  it  does  not ;  but  that  it  does  show,  in  connec- 
tion vdlh.  the  other  scriptures  quoted,  that  Jesus  and 
the  Father,  Jehovah,  are  one  in  spirit  and  one  in  har- 
monious action;  just  as  Jesus  subsequently  prayed  to 
the  Father  that  the  church,  his  followers,  might  be 
made  one  with  him,  when  he  said:  ''Neither  pray  I 
for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe 
on  me  through  their  word ;  that  they  all  may  be  one, 
as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they 
also  may  be  one  in  us:  that  the  world  may  believe 
that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou 
gavest  me  I  have  given  them ;  that  they  may  be  one, 
even  as  we  are  one."  (John  17:20-22)  Thus  Jesus 
definitely  shows  what  is  meant  by  being  one  v/ith  the 
Father. 

'^^^  Again  Jesus  prayed  to  the  Father,  saying:  Fa- 
ther, save  me  from  this  hour:  but  for  this  cause 
came  I  unto  this  hour.  Father,  glorify  thy  name. 
Then  came  there  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  I  have 
both  glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again."  (John 
12:27,28)  Jesus  could  not  have  been  praying  to 
himself  here,  but  he  was  praying  to  Jehovah  God, 
from  whom  he  came. 

That  the  Father  is  greater  than  the  Son,  Christ 
Jesus,  he  shows  when  he  says:  "I  go  awa}^,  and  come 
again  unto  you.  If  ye  loved  me,  ye  would  rejoice, 
because  I  said,  I  go  unto  the  Father:  for  my  Father 
is  greater  than  I. ' ' — John  14 :  28. 


102 


The  Harp  of  God 


*^**Many  others  have  believed  that  Jesus,  while  on 
the  earth,  was  still  a  spirit  being  and  that  his  flesh 
was  merely  a  covering  or  house  in  which  that  spirit 
being  resided.  Otherwise  stated,  that  he  was  merely 
an  incarnated  creature  and  not  wholly  a  man.  The 
incarnation  theory  is  that  a  spirit  being  inhabits  for 
a  time  the  human  body,  or  a  human  body  is  created 
for  the  express  purpose  of  that  spirit  being's  occupy- 
ing it  for  a  time.  The  incarnation  of  Jesus  is  Scrip- 
turally  erroneous.  Indeed,  if  he  had  been  merely  an 
incarnated  being,  he  could  never  have  redeemed  man- 
kind. It  is  not  disputed  that  he  could  have  appeared 
as  a  human  being ;  and  such  is  attested  to  in  the  in- 
stances given  in  Genesis  18 : 1,  2  and  19 : 1. 

Some  insist  that  J esus  when  on  earth  was  both 
God  and  man  in  completeness.  This  theory  is  wrong, 
however.  We  should  never  formulate  a  theory  con- 
cerning God's  plan  in  direct  contradiction  to  his 
plain  Word.  We  should  have  faith  in  God  and  in  his 
Word.  Faith  means  to  have  a  laiowledge  of  his  Word 
and  then  to  rely  upon  that  Word  confidently.  The 
Bible  is  the  revealed  Yv^ord  of  God,  given  to  man  for 
his  instruction;  and  where  plain  statements  of  the 
Bible  are  given,  we  should  take  them  at  their  face 
value.  Follov/ing  this  course,  we  find  that  the  plan 
of  God  everywhere  appears  harmonious  and  beautiful. 

The  adversary  takes  advantage  of  an  honest  de- 
sire on  the  part  of  some  and  leads  them  into  error. 
Every  conscientious  and  reverential  mind  desires  to 
honor  God.  For  fear  they  might  dishonor  him,  they 
are  easily  led  into  failure  to  give  proper  consideration 
to  plain  statements  of  the  Bible.  Some  have  been  in- 
duced to  believe  that  should  they  say  that  Jesus  when 
on  earth  was  a  man  and  not  God,  such  would  be  a 
dishonor  to  God.  We  should  not  permit  ourselves  to 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


103 


be  beguiled  or  misled  by  sophistry  or  theories,  but 
should  follow  the  plain  teachings  of  the  Bible  and 
then  reach  a  conclusion  in  the  light  of  that  revealed 
Word  after  a  full  examination. 

The  record  concerning  Jesus'  prehuman  exis- 
tence, his  being  begotten  and  his  birth,  entirely  dis- 
proves the  theory  that  he  was  incarnated.  The  scrip- 
tures above  cited  plainly  show  that  he  was  begotten  in 
the  womb  of  a  woman,  Mary,  by  the  holy  spirit,  the 
power  or  energy  of  Jehovah ;  that  thereafter  he  was 
born  in  the  same  general  manner  that  other  children 
are  born  of  a  woman  (Luke  2 :  9-11)  ;  that  he  grew  to 
manhood's  estate  and  increased  in  wisdom  and  stat- 
ure and  in  favor  with  God  and  man.  (Luke  2 : 40, 
52)  None  of  these  things  would  have  been  necessary 
were  he  merely  an  incarnated  being,  a  spirit  being 
inhabiting  a  body  of  tlesh.  He  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  at 
which  time  he  began  his  ministry.  At  that  time  he 
went  to  John  to  be  baptized  in  the  Jordan.  (Luke 
3:  21-23)  Immediately  following  that  he  spent  forty 
days  and  nights  in  the  wilderness,  fasting  and  study- 
ing Jehovah's  plan.  (Luke  4: 1-14)  If  he  were  God 
incarnate,  this  experience  in  the  wilderness  would 
seem  wholly  unnecessary. 

Jesus  was  not  an  angel  or  spirit  being,  because 
we  have  the  positive  statement  of  the  apostle  to  the 
effect  that,  **We  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels."  (Hebrews  2:9)  And  again: 
**  Forasmuch  then  as  the  children  are  partakers  of 
flesh  and  blood,  he  also  himself  likewise  partook  of 
the  same."  (Hebrews  2: 14)  Furthermore,  he  was  at 
one  time  rich  in  heavenly  power  and  glory  and  be- 
came poor  for  the  sake  of  mankind  by  taking  upon 
himself  the  nature  of  man.  (2  Corinthians  8:9)  He 


104 


The  Harp  of  God 


was  made  in  the  nature  and  likeness  of  man.  (Philip- 
pians  2:8)  The  apostle,  writing  under  inspiration, 
speaks  of  Jesus  as  the  man:  "For  since  by  man  came 
death,  by  man  came  also  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 
.  .  .  The  first  man  is  of  the  earth,  earthy :  the  second 
man  is  the  Lord  from  heaven.*' — 1  Corinthians 
15 :  21,  47 ;  see  also  1  Timothy  2:5,6. 

Had  Jesus  been  merely  an  incarnated  being  it 
would  not  have  been  necessary  for  him  to  be  born  as 
a  babe  and  grow  to  manhood's  estate.  While  he  was 
bom  of  a  woman,  yet  he  was  without  sin,  because 
from  his  Father,  Jehovah;  for  he  was  ''holy,  harm- 
less, undefiled,  separate  from  sinners"  (Hebrews 
7 : 26 )  ;  ' '  and  he  was  manifested  to  take  away  our 
sins;  and  in  him  is  no  sin."  (1  John  3:5)  He  was 
without  spot  or  blemish;  therefore  perfect  and  holy. 
— 1  Peter  1:19;  Hebrews  9 : 14. 

God  says  to  us:  "Gome  now,  and  let  us  reason 
together,  .  .  .  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they 
shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though  they  be  red  like 
crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  (Isaiah  1:18)  We 
should  reason  upon  God's  plan  as  revealed  in  the 
Bible,  because  he  thus  invites  us  to  do.  When  we  see 
the  reason  why  Jesus  was  made  a  man,  why  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  be  a  perfect  man  while  on  earth, 
then  we  are  glad  and  give  praise  to  God.  Had  he 
not  become  a  man,  there  would  have  been  no  hope 
for  any  of  the  human  race  to  get  life  through  Christ 
Jesus ;  and  the  apostle  declares  that  there  is  no  other 
name  given  under  heaven  whereby  mankind  can  live. 
—Acts  4 : 12. 

In  what  peculiar  manner  has  Jehovah  used  men  and 
women  in  the  Bible?  Give  some  examples.  ^  102. 
What  was  typified  by  Hagar?  H  102. 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


105 


What  was  the  purpose  of  the  law  covenant  God  made 
with  Israel?  ^  102. 

Give  the  name  of  Abraham's  third  wife;  and  what  did 
she  typify?  H  102. 

Give  the  Apostle  Paul's  statement  as  to  what  the  wives 
of  Abraham  typified.  If  103. 

What  did  Isaac  typify  or  picture?  ^  103. 

What  constitutes  the  seed  of  Abraham,  according  to  the 
promise?  H  103. 

Quote  the  words  of  Paul  concerning  the  seed  of  Abraham. 
H  103. 

What  is  first  necessary  relative  to  the  seed  before  the 
people  can  be  blessed?  ^  104. 

What  was  the  expectation  of  the  Jews  concerning  this 
seed?  1[  105. 

Give  the  names  of  Isaac's  two  sons;  and  what  was 
Isaac's  age  when  they  were  born?  If  105. 

After  the  birth  of  his  sons,  where  did  Isaac  go  to  reside? 
and  while  there,  what  did  God  say  to  him?  ^  106. 

Which  of  Isaac's  sons  became  successor  to  the  promise? 
and  why?  If  106. 

What  really  determined  who  would  be  the  successor  to 
the  father's  estate?  ^  107. 

Did  the  Lord  indicate  that  there  should  be  any  exception 
to  this  rule  relative  to  Jacob  and  Esau?  107. 

How  did  the  Lord  indicate  this  to  Rebekah  the  mother? 
^  107. 

How  did  Esau  occupy  his  time  generally?  If  108. 

What  different  disposition  did  Jacob  possess?  If  108. 

Did  Esau  show  an  appreciation  of  the  birthright,  particu- 
larly the  Abrahamic  promise?  If  108. 

Relate  the  circumstances  of  Esau's  selling  of  his  birth- 
right. If  108. 

Why  did  the  birthright  properly  belong  to  Jacob?  If  109. 

About  what  was  the  age  of  Jacob  and  Esau  at  the  time 
of  this  transaction?  ^  109. 

Was  their  contract  binding  on  both?  ^  109. 

What  privileges  did  the  birthright  carry  with  it?  ^  110. 

State  the  circumstances  under  which  Esau  attempted  to 
deprive  Jacob  of  the  birthright  after  he  had  sold  it  to  him. 
H  111. 


106 


The  Harp  of  God 


Was  the  mother  of  these  men  justified  in  her  action  in 
this  matter?  and  if  so,  why?  ^  111. 

Relate  the  conditions  under  which  Jacob  obtained  the 
blessing  from  his  father,  ^  112. 

What  blessing,  as  shown  by  the  Scriptures,  did  Isaac 
bestow  upon  Jacob?  ^  112. 

After  Esau  failed  in  his  attempt  to  defeat  his  own  con- 
tract with  Jacob,  what  did  he  do  toward  obtaining  the 
blessing  from  his  father?  ^  113. 

Why  have  Christian  people  severely  criticized  Jacob  and 
Rebekah  because  of  this  transaction?  ^  114. 

Who  was  the  more  reprehensible,  Jacob  or  Esau?  and 
why?  If  114. 

Whom  did  Esau  picture  or  typify?  ^  114. 

Whom  did  Jacob  picture  or  foreshadow?  If  114. 

Did  God  approve  or  disapprove  Rebekah's  action?  If  114. 

Why  did  Jacob  flee  the  country?  and  upon  whose  advice? 
If  114. 

At  what  important  Biblical  place  did  Jacob  spend  the 
night?  and  what  occurred  there?  Give  the  Scriptural  ac- 
count. If  114, 115. 

Why  should  we  disapprove  any  one  whom  God  approves? 
^  116. 

How  did  God  later  show  his  favor  to  Jacob?  If  117. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  name  Israel?  If  117. 

What  promise  did  God  make  to  Jacob  after  his  name 
was  changed  to  Israel?  If  117. 

How  many  sons  did  Jacob  have?  If  118. 

Give  the  names  of  his  wives,  and  the  sons  by  these  wives, 
respectively.  If  118. 

Which  one  of  his  w'ives  did  he  love  most?  If  118. 

Which  was  Jacob's  beloved  son?  ^  118. 

Under  what  circumstances  was  Joseph  taken  away?  and 
upon  whom  did  Jacob  bestow  his  affection  thereafter?  ^  118. 

Whom  did  Joseph  typify?  and  of  whom  was  Benjamin  a 
type?  If  118. 

Where  did  Jacob  spend  his  last  days?  ^  119. 

What  marks  the  beginning  of  the  nation  of  Israel?  ^  119. 

In  pronouncing  the  blessings  upon  his  sons,  what  special 
prophecy  was  made  by  Jacob  concerning  Judah?  K  119. 

Who  is  foreshadowed  by  this  prophecy?  ^  119. 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


107 


After  Jacob's  death,  by  what  name  were  his  offspring 
known?  t  120. 

What  position  did  Joseph  now  hold  in  Egypt?  %  120. 

How  were  the  Israelites  treated  during  Joseph's  lifetime? 
If  120. 

How  were  they  treated  after  Joseph's  death?  %  120. 

Whom  did  God  raise  up  as  a  deliverer  of  the  Israelites 
from  Egypt?  T  120. 

What  did  Egypt  typify  or  picture?  and  what  was  typified 
or  pictured  by  Egypt's  ruler  Pharaoh?  If  121. 

Whom  did  the  Israelites  in  Egypt  picture?  and  of  whom 
was  Moses  a  type?  f  121.  Who  was  Moses?  ^  122. 

What  prophecy  did  Moses  speak  relative  to  a  mighty  one 
to  follow  him?  f  122. 

After  hearing  this  prophecy,  for  whom  were  the  Israelites 
looking?  If  122. 

From  what  tribe  did  David  descend?  If  122. 

Through  whom  did  Grod  repeat  the  promises  to  Israel? 
If  123. 

To  what  particular  house  or  line  was  the  promise  finally 
limited?  If  123. 

What  promise  did  the  Lord  make  to  David  relative  to 
the  throne  of  Israel?  Quote  the  prophecy.  ^  123. 

When  David  was  king,  what  prophetic  utterance  did  he 
make  concerning  the  building  of  a  house  unto  Jehovah? 
t[  124. 

Why  did  God  not  permit  David  to  build  the  temple?  If  124. 
Which  one  of  David's  sons  was  permitted  to  build  the 
temple?  If  124. 

Upon  what  condition  was  Solomon's  to  be  the  line  from 
which  the  great  Deliverer  would  descend?  Give  the  Scrip- 
tural proof.  If  125. 

Did  Solomon  receive  Jehovah's  approval?  If  126. 

Why  was  the  kingdom  taken  away  from  Solomon?  If  126. 

After  Solomon's  death,  what  happened  to  the  nation  of 
Israel?  If  127. 

Name  the  last  three  kings  of  Solomon's  line  to  rule  over 
Israel.  If  127. 

What  did  Jehovah  pronounce  through  the  prophet  con- 
cerning Zedekiah?  Give  the  Scriptural  statement.  Tf  127. 

In  view  of  this,  was  it  possible  for  the  Messiah  to  be 
counted  through  the  line  of  Solomon?  If  127. 


108 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  other  son  did  David  have  who  was  subsequently 
exalted?  ^  128. 

From  whom  did  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  descend?  ^  128. 

What  did  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  prophesy  concerning  the 
coming  of  Messiah  thrcagh  David's  lineage?  ^  129. 

What  message  did  the  angel  of  the  Lord  bring  to  Mary 
relative  to  the  Messiah?  1[  130. 

What  did  Mary  say  in  response  to  the  messenger?  ^  130. 

Why  did  Mary  say :  "From  henceforth  all  generations 
shall  call  me  blessed"?  H  131. 

What  was  meant  by  her  prophetic  statement:  "He  hath 
put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats  and  exalted  them  of 
low  degree"?  IF  131. 

Why  were  the  Jews  looking  for  some  child  to  be  born 
who  would  be  a  great  ruler?  ^  132. 

Why  did  they  expect  their  nation  to  become  great?  V  132. 

What  prophetic  utterances  led  the  Jews  to  believe  that 
there  should  be  raised  up  amongst  them  a  great  king? 
Quote  the  prophecies.  ^  132,  1.33. 

Did  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  and  Zechariah  relating  to 
the  coming  king  have  a  complete  fulfilment  at  the  birth 
of  Jesus?  ^  134. 

Of  what  relative  importance  was  the  birth  of  Jesus?  ^  135. 

How  much  time  elapsed  from  the  original  promise  made 
to  Abraham  until  the  birth  of  Jesus?  H  135. 

During  that  time,  what  was  Jehovah  doing  relative  to 
the  promise?  H  135. 

Where  was  Jesus  born?  ^  136. 

How  was  Bethlehem  foreshadowed  by  the  prophet?  ^  136. 

Give  a  brief  statement  of  the  important  things  which 
occurred  in  and  about  Bethlehem.  ^  137. 

Where  was  Nazareth  situated?  H  138. 

State  the  relative  importance  of  the  city  of  Nazareth. 
TI  138. 

Who  were  in  control  of  Palestine  at  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  Jesus?  ^  138. 

What  important  decree  was  issued  by  the  ruler  of  Pales- 
tine that  led  Joseph  and  Mary  to  Bethlehem?  T[  138. 

Why  must  they  go  to  Bethlehem  and  not  to  some  other 
city?  H  138. 

How  did  Joseph  and  Mary  journey  from  Nazareth  to 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


109 


Bethlehem?  and  at  what  time  did  they  reach  the  latter 
city?  H  139. 

Where  did  they  find  lodging?  ^  139. 

What  important  field  lies  near  Bethlehem?  and  who  were 
watching  their  flocks  there?  ^  140. 

How  many  watches  were  kept  in  a  night?  IT  140. 

Was  there  great  earthly  splendor  and  show  at  the  birth 
of  Jesus?  and  if  not,  why  not?  If  141. 

What  kind  of  people  had  God  chosen  to  participate  in  the 
events  of  that  night?  IT  141. 

AVho  in  heaven  were  participating  in  this  great  event?  \  141. 

What  did  the  night  on  the  earth  picture?  \  142. 

At  what  particular  place  was  Jesus  born?  %  142. 

What  attracted  the  attention  of  the  shepherds  and  what 
message  was  delivered  to  them?  Repeat  the  message.  ^  142. 

Repeat  all  the  text  of  Luke  2 ;  8-11.  H  142. 

What  song  did  the  shepherds  hear  from  the  heavenly 
hosts  on  this  occasion?  H  143. 

What  effect  has  this  heavenly  message  had  upon  the 
hearts  of  men  for  centuries  past?  f  143. 

Under  what  conditions  will  the  peoples  of  earth  learn  of 
the  importance  of  the  birth  of  Jesus?  H  144. 

What  was  the  date  of  Jesus'  birth?  ^  145. 

Tell  what  you  can  concerning  the  "wise  men"  that 
journeyed  from  the  east  to  Bethlehem  to  see  Jesus.  If  146. 

Who  sent  the  "wise  men"  to  Herod?  If  146. 

Why  should  we  expect  Satan  to  try  to  form  a  conspiracy 
to  destroy  the  babe  Jesus?  If  147. 

Explain  the  significance  of  the  names  given  Satan;  and 
how  do  these  apply  to  his  operations  against  Jesus  and  his 
followers?  If  148. 

When  the  promise  was  made  to  Mary  that  she  should  be 
the  mother  of  Jesus,  how  did  Satan  regard  this  promise? 
\  149. 

What  was  one  of  the  puii)oses  of  Jesus*  coming  to  earth 
relative  to  Satan?  If  149. 

What  attempt  did  Satan  make  to  destroy  Mary  and  her 
babe  before  the  birth  of  Jesus?  If  149. 

What  was  the  "star"  or  light  that  guided  the  "wise  men" 
to  Bethlehem?  If  150. 

Who  were  these  "wise  men"  and  whom  did  they  worship? 
If  15L 


110 


The  Harp  of  God 


Had  Pharaoh  the  king  of  Egypt  employed  similar  men? 
and  for  what  purpose?  ^  151. 

What  kind  of  man  was  Herod?  and  under  whose  influ- 
ence was  he?  If  151. 

Give  the  Scriptural  account  of  the  "wise  men"  going  to 
Herod.  ^  152. 

Why  would  they  go  to  Herod,  the  enemy  of  Jesus?  ^  152. 
Define  a  conspiracy.  ^  152. 

Is  it  possible  for  one  to  be  involved  in  a  conspiracy  with- 
out knowing  the  real  purpose?  H  152. 

What  did  Herod  do  when  the  "wise  men"  approached 
him?  If  153. 

What  characteristics  did  Herod  manifest  in  his  consulta- 
tion with  the  "wise  men"?  H  153. 

Would  we  expect  God  to  help  a  wicked  man  like  Herod 
carry  out  his  purpose  to  destroy  God's  beloved  Son?  15-1. 

Where  did  the  "wise  men"  find  the  babe?  1[  155. 

Why  did  they  not  return  to  Herod?  ^  155. 

How  did  God  thwart  Satan's  purpose  here  to  destroy  the 
babe?  H  155. 

Wliat  wicked  thing  did  Herod  do  when  he  found  that  the 
"wise  men"  had  not  returned  to  him?  ^  156. 

Who  prompted  Herod  to  do  this  wicked  act  of  slaying 
children?  H  156. 

How  was  Jesus  saved  from  this  slaughter?  and  where  did 
his  parents  take  him?  ^  156. 

Could  we  presume  under  these  circumstances  that  God 
would  use  the  "wise  men"  for  his  witnesses  to  the  birth 
of  Jesus?  H  157. 

AVhat  humble,  honest  creatures  did  he  use  as  such  wit- 
nesses? ^  157. 

Was  there  anything  in  the  mission  of  the  "wise  men" 
that  is  beneficial  to  mankind?  ^  158. 

Why  would  God  permit  this  conspiracy?  ^  158. 

Does  Satan  deceive  honest  people?  ^  158. 

Who  has  been  responsible  for  all  the  persecution  of  Jesus 
and  his  followers?  %  159. 

Who  has  protected  them,  and  how?  ^  159. 

AVhy  are  all  the  descendants  of  Adam  sinners?  Quote  the 
scripture.  ^  160. 

Jesus  being  born  of  a  woman,  was  he  a  sinner?  and  if 
not,  why  not?  161. 


The  Birth  of  Jesus 


11% 


What  is  meant  by  the  words  "holy  ghost"?  If  162. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  father?  ^  162. 

Why  is  Jesus  called  the  Son  of  God?  ^  162. 

Why  was  our  Lord  named  Jesus?  and  what  does  the 
name  imply?  ^  163. 

Did  he  exist  before  he  became  Jesus?  and  what  was  his 
prehuman  name?  j[  163. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  Logos?  and  what  rela- 
tion has  the  Logos  to  all  of  Jehovah's  creation?  ^  163. 

Did  Jehovah  have  a  beginning?  \  164. 

What  is  meant  by  the  term  "in  the  beginning"  as  used 
in  John  1: 1,  2?  ^  164. 

Give  further  Scriptural  evidence  of  the  prehuman  exis- 
tence of  Jesus.  IF  164,  165. 

Are  Jehovah  and  Jesus  one  and  the  same  being?  Give 
the  Scriptural  proof.  ^  166. 

In  what  sense  are  the  Father  and  the  Son  one?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  ^  167. 

When  Jesus  prayed  to  the  Father,  did  he  pray  to  himself 
or  to  another?  ^  168. 

Who  is  the  greater,  Jehovah  or  Jesus?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  \  169. 

When  Jesus  was  on  earth,  was  he  a  spirit  or  a  human 
being?  ^  170. 

What  is  meant  by  the  incarnation  theory?  ^  170. 

Do  the  Scriptures  warrant  the  conclusion  that  Jesus  was 
an  incarnated  being?  If  not,  why  not?  \  170. 

When  Jesus  was  on  earth,  was  he  both  God  and  man? 
If  not,  why  not?  t  171. 

By  what  must  we  determine  these  questions?  1[  171. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  faith?  ^  171. 

How  does  Satan  sometimes  lead  persons  of  honest  heart 
into  error?  f  172. 

Should  we  follow  sophistry  or  the  Bible  in  reaching  a 
conclusion  on  these  questions?  ^  172. 

Briefly  review  the  argument  of  the  begetting  and  birth 
of  Jesus  which  disproves  that  he  was  an  incarnated  being. 
H  173. 

If  Jesus  was  God  incarnate,  why  should  he  have  had  the 
experience  in  the  wilderness?  H  173. 
Angels  are  spirit  beings.  What  Scriptural  proof  have  we 


112 


The  Harp  of  God 


that  Jesus  was  not  an  angel?  Cite  the  Scriptural  proof. 
%  174. 

Give  further  scriptures  to  show  that  he  teas  a  man,  made 
in  the  likeness  of  men,  and  that  he  is  the  Lord  from  heaven. 
T  174. 

Had  Jesus  been  an  incarnate  being,  would  it  have  been 
necessary  for  him  to  be  born  as  a  child?  If  175. 

Why  should  we  reason  upon  God's  plan?  ^  176. 

Could  there  have  been  any  hope  for  the  redemption  of 
the  human  race  except  by  Jesus  becoming  a  man  and  by  iiis 
death  providing  the  ransom  price?  ^  176. 


CHAPTER  VI 


String  5:     The  Ransom 

THE  great  ransom  sacrifice  is  the  most  vital  to  man 
of  the  strings  upon  the  harp  of  God,  because 
without  it  no  real  lasting  joy  could  be  had  by  man- 
kind. In  due  time  its  benefits  shall  result  to  the  entire 
human  race ;  and  all  who  appreciate  it  will  sing  aloud 
and  rejoice  with  exceeding  joy.  They  will  have  mel- 
ody in  their  hearts  and  upon  their  lips  because  of 
this  wonderful  provision  made  by  Jehovah  for  man's 
benefit.  For  thousands  of  years  divine  wisdom  has 
been  -working  out  his  plan  concerning  man;  and  the 
ransom  sacrifice  is  the  very  pivotal  part  of  that  plan. 
Its  importance  can  not  be  overstated.  It  is  the  gate- 
way that  leads  to  life  and  happiness.  It  is  the  means 
of  bringing  back  man  into  harmony  with  God.  To 
appreciate  this  great  doctrine  we  must  understand 
it.  Therefore  let  us  reason  together  in  the  light  of 
the  divine  Word,  that  we  may  understand. 

The  most  precious  thing  possessed  by  any  crea- 
ture is  life,  because  without  life  everything  else  would 
be  useless  and  could  not  be  enjoyed.  Even  now  we 
observe  that  a  man  with  but  a  small  spark  of  life 
clings  to  that  with  desperation.  It  is  only  when  a 
creature  is  perfect  and  enjoying  complete  life  and 
the  right  to  it  that  he  can  properly  glorify  Jehovah, 
his  great  Creator.  God's  great  arrangement  must 
ultimately  bring  glory  to  his  name. 

J ehovah  created  Adam,  the  first  man,  in  his  own 
image  and  likeness.  He  created  him  perfect ;  for  all  the 

115 


116 


The  Harp  of  God 


works  of  Jehovah  are  perfect.  (Deuteronomy  32:4) 
He  gave  to  man  life  and  the  right  to  life.  Life  means 
any  conscious  existence.  Right  to  life  means  the  full 
authority  to  maintain  existence.  Adam  and  Eve  in 
Eden  were  perfect  in  their  bodies,  without  pain,  with- 
out sorrow ;  and  were  beautiful  creatures.  They  had 
not  a  scar  nor  a  mark  upon  them  anywhere.  They 
enjoyed  life  and  all  the  blessings  incident  to  that 
life.  Their  home  was  perfect;  and  even  all  the  ani- 
mals and  birds  of  Eden  were  subject  to  them,  and 
they  had  absolute  dominion  and  control.  God  gave 
them  all  these  privileges  to  enjoy  eternally,  upon  one 
expressed  condition,  namely,  that  they  be  obedient 
to  his  law  and  thereby  honor  him.  He  informed  man 
that  a  violation  of  this  law  would  bring  upon  him 
loss  of  life,  loss  of  the  right  to  life,  loss  of  all  the 
blessings  incident  to  it. 

Satan  induced  mother  Eve  to  believe  that  God 
was  keeping  back  something  from  them  and,  there- 
fore decei\dng  Eve,  induced  her  to  violate  the  law. 
There  was  no  real  wrong  in  the  fruit  which  Eve  ate. 
The  wrong  was  in  disobeying  the  Lord.  When  Adam 
found  that  she  had  violated  God's  law,  knowing  that 
she  must  die  he  preferred  to  be  with  her  in  death 
rather  than  to  be  separated  from  her;  so  he  also  be- 
came a  party  to  the  transgression  by  voluntarily  and 
willingly  violating  the  law  of  God.  Jehovah,  in  the 
exercise  of  his  perfect  justice,  sentenced  man  to  death. 
This  sentence  deprived  Adam  and  Eve  of  the  right 
to  life.  They  were  driven  out  of  Eden  and  in  due 
time  they  lost  life  itself.  For  930  years  they  were 
compelled  to  go  about  in  the  earth  and  earn  their 
bread  by  digging  in  the  soil  and  partaking  of  such 
food  as  they  produced,  which  was  imperfect  and 
poisonous.  In  this  manner  they  were  put  to  death. 


The  Ransom 


117 


This  sentence  of  death  passed  upon  Adam  had 
an  indirect  effect  upon  his  offspring.  Before  he  was 
driven  from  Eden  he  and  Eve  had  not  exercised  the 
authority  given  to  them  by  Jehovah  to  beget  and 
bring  forth  children  on  the  earth.  This  they  did  ex- 
ercise after  being  driven  from  Eden.  Being  now 
under  the  sentence  of  death  and  undergoing  that 
death  penalty,  it  w^as  impossible  for  their  children, 
born  under  such  conditions,  to  come  into  existence 
perfect.  It  would  follow,  then,  that  when  the  chil- 
dren were  born,  w^hile  they  would  have  a  measure  of 
life  and  the  rights  incident  to  that  measure  of  life 
(and  these  we  call  ''life  rights"  as  distinguished 
from  right  to  live),  they  would  have  no  right  to  life, 
because  Adam  having  no  right  to  life  could  not  bring 
children  into  the  world  who  would  have  greater  right 
than  he  had. 

182  human  being  that  is  living  possesses  the 
right  to  food,  air,  light  and  certain  privileges  in 
society;  and  these  are  called  life  rights;  that  is  to 
say,  they  are  incident  to  animation,  privileges  belong- 
ing to  creatures  that  live  in  any  measure.  The  right 
to  live,  then,  means  a  just  right  of  existence  which 
can  not  be  properly  taken  away. 

Because  the  parents  possessed  no  right  to  life, 
every  child  born  into  the  world  from  then  until  now 
has  been  born  imperfect,  unrighteous,  a  sinner,  dis- 
approved in  God's  sight,  under  condemnation,  and 
therefore  with  no  right  to  life.  The  life  that  any  of 
us  has  lived  has  been  merely  by  permission ;  and  all 
who  have  died  have  died  justly;  for  nothing  but  a 
perfect  creature  is  entitled  to  life.  For  this  reason 
the  prophet  wrote :  * '  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity, 
and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me."  (Psalm 
51 :  5)  Paul  writing  under  inspiration,  expressed  the 


118 


The  Harp  of  God 


same  thing,  saying:  Wherefore,  as  by  one  man  sin 
entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin;  and  so 
death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  all  have  sinned." — 
Romans  5 : 12. 

All  the  human  race,  then,  from  Adam  until  now, 
having  been  bom  imperfect,  it  follows  that  if  any 
ever  get  full  life  and  the  right  to  life  he  must  get  it 
through  the  loving  Jehovah  God.  Unless  God  had 
made  some  provision  for  the  redemption  of  man  from 
death  and  the  lifting  up  of  him  again  to  the  condition 
of  life,  the  time  would  come  when  there  would  be  no 
people  on  the  earth.  We  remember  that  Adam  lived 
930  years ;  and  now  a  man  scarcely  lives  to  be  half  a 
century  old.  The  race  has  been  degenerating  for 
centuries,  growing  weaker  and  weaker,  and  ultimate- 
ly all  would  come  to  that  condition  in  which  they 
would  be  unable  to  transmit  even  the  spark  of  life, 
and  the  earth  would  be  depopulated.  Hence  we  see 
our  utter  dependence  upon  G^d;  and  if  we  find  the 
great  Jehovah  has  made  a  provision  for  us  to  live, 
that  ought  to  fill  our  hearts  with  gratitude;  and  as 
we  further  examine  his  great  plan  it  should  fill  our 
hearts  with  boundless  love  for  him.  And  surely  that 
provision  w^ould  bring  joy  to  the  heart  and  enable 
one  to  see  that  such  provision  constitutes  one  of  the 
strings  upon  the  great  harp  of  God. 

REDEMPTION  FORESHADOWED 

At  the  time  that  Jehovah  entered  the  judgment 
or  sentence  against  man  he  vaguely  hinted  at  a  time 
coming  when  man  should  be  released  from  that  judg- 
ment. Satan,  one  of  whose  names  is  'Hhe  old  ser- 
pent'\  was  the  first  inducing  cause  of  sin.  And  God 
at  that  time  said  to  him :  "  I  will  put  enmity  between 
thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed  and  her 


The  Ransom 


119 


seed ;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head.*'  (Genesis  3 : 15)  This 
foreshadowed  the  fact  that  ultimately  Satan  should 
be  destroyed  and  that  the  same  would  result  as  a 
blessing  to  man. 

But  we  must  remember  that  the  judgment  of  God 
entered  against  man  must  stand  for  ever.  It  could  not 
be  reversed  or  set  aside  or  annulled,  for  the  reason  that 
Jehovah  can  not  deny  himself.  Nor  could  any  of  his 
creatures  have  faith  in  him  if  he  changed  his  mind. 
While  it  is  true  that  this  judgment  must  stand  for 
ever,  it  is  equally  true  that  God  could  make  a  con- 
sistent provision  for  having  the  terms  of  the  judg- 
ment met  by  another,  equal  to  Adam ;  and  this  is  ex- 
actly what  we  find  the  Scriptures  to  disclose  that  he 
did. 

^^"^  Jehovah  desired  that  man  should  understand 
the  necessity  and  reason  for  providing  redemption, 
that  when  man  does  understand  it  he  -will  rejoice  in 
the  loving-kindness  manifested  by  God  toward  him. 
For  this  reason  God  caused  certain  pictures  or  types 
to  be  made  by  his  people. 

On  the  night  that  Jehovah  led  the  children  of 
Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  he  caused  a  lamb  to 
be  slain  and  its  blood  sprinkled  upon  the  doorposts 
of  the  house  and  the  people  to  eat  that  lamb,  and 
arranged  that  at  midnight  the  death  angel  would 
pass  through  and  smite  the  first-born  of  every  house 
where  the  blood  did  not  appear  upon  the  doorposts. 
The  first-born  here  pictured  the  church,  about  which 
we  shall  see  later,  and  which  first  must  be  saved  be- 
fore the  blessing  can  come  to  the  world  in  general. 
The  lamb  pictured  the  one  who  should  be  the  ran- 
somer,  or  redeemer,  of  mankind.  The  blood  pictured 
the  life  poured  out  to  provide  a  redemptive  price. — 
Exodus  12:3-17. 


120 


The  Harp  of  God 


189  \Yhen  Jesus  appeared,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
John  the  Baptist  pointing  to  him  said:  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world."  (John  1:  29)  And  we  read  in  the  Bible  con- 
cerning Jesus,  that  he  is  *'the  Lamb  slain  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world".  (Revelation  13:8)  These 
scriptures  and  others  show  that  the  sacrifice  of  the 
lamb  foreshadov/ed  the  sacrifice  of  the  great  One  who 
should  become  the  redeemer  of  mankind  and  take 
away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

A  few  days  after  this  passover  in  Egypt,  the 
Israelites  were  all  delivered  when  God  commanded 
Moses  to  smite  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  and  they 
passed  over  on  dry  land;  and  when  the  Egyptians 
attempted  to  follow  they  were  swallowed  up  in  the 
sea  and  drowned.  The  deliverance  of  Israel  here 
pictured  the  deliverance  from  the  great  enemy,  Satan 
and  death,  of  all  the  human  race  that  will  ultimately 
be  obedient  to  God's  holy  will. 

After  the  children  of  Israel  were  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Red  Sea,  they  marched  on  in  the  desert; 
and  when  they  came  to  Mount  Sinai  God  confirmed 
with  them  a  covenant,  which  is  known  in  the  Bible 
as  the  law  covenant.  In  connection  with  this  covenant 
animals  were  sacrificed.  This  covenant  was  instituted 
at  the  hands  of  Moses  as  a  mediator.  Moses  here  was 
a  type  of  Christ  Jesus,  who  in  due  time  will  inaugu- 
rate the  covenant  on  behalf  of  all  mankind  for  their 
deliverance. 

In  connection  \^dth  the  law  given  to  the  Israel- 
ites at  this  time,  God  instructed  Moses  to  erect  in  the 
vnldemess  a  tabernacle,  which  was  to  be  used  by  the 
Israelites  in  connection  with  their  ceremonies  of  sacri- 
fice. One  day  of  each  year  was  known  as  the  atone- 
ment day,  and  what  was  done  on  that  day  partic- 


The  Ransom 


121 


ularly  foreshadowed  the  great  sin-ofiering  to  be  made 
on  behalf  of  mankind. 

i»3  rp-^g  tabernacle  was  constructed  of  two  parts.  It 
was  45  feet  long,  15  feet  wide,  and  15  feet  high,  built 
of  boards  and  then  covered  over  ^vith  a  tent  of  three 
thicknesses  of  material.  The  first  division  of  the 
tabernacle  was  called  the  Holy.  It  was  15  feet  wide 
and  30  feet  long.  The  second  or  rear  apartment  was 
known  as  the  Most  Holy,  it  being  15  feet  long,  15 
feet  wide,  and  15  feet  high,  an  exact  cube.  The  taber- 
nacle was  situated  inside  of  a  court  or  yard,  which 
court  was  75  feet  wide  and  150  feet  in  length.  The 
fence  enclosing  this  court  was  made  of  linen  curtains, 
suspended  from  hoolis  which  were  fastened  on  wooden 
posts,  the  posts  being  set  in  copper  sockets  at  the  base. 

On  the  atonement  day  the  high  priest  took  a  bul- 
lock, which  must  be  without  spot  or  blemish.  Inside 
of  the  court  he  Idlled  the  bullock,  took  its  blood  in  a 
vessel,  went  from  the  court  into  the  Holy  and  from 
there  into  the  Most  Holy,  and  sprinkled  the  blood 
upon  tlie  mercy  seat,  which  was  in  the  ]\Iost  Holy. 
Then  he  went  back  and  slew  a  male  goat,  which  like- 
wise must  be  ^vithout  defect,  and  did  the  same  thing 
with  its  blood.  This  was  kno\vn  as  the  atonement 
sacrifice.  (See  Leviticus  16: 1-34.)  It  was  an  offering 
for  sin,  made  for  the  people  of  Israel,  but  in  fact 
foreshadowing  the  great  sin-offering  that  is  to  ta!:e 
away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

195  Paul  plainly  tells  us  that  the  things  here  done 
foreshadowed  better  things  to  come.  (Hebrews  10: 1) 
God  required  in  the  law  that  the  Jews  should  keep 
this  day  of  atonement  and  offer  these  sacrifices 
through  the  high  priest  once  each  year.  We  remember 
that  God  had  promised  to  Abraham:  ''In  thy  seed 
shall  all  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed."  So 


122 


The  Harp  of  God 


Paul  says  that  the  law  **was  added  because  of  trans- 
gressions, till  the  seed  should  come  to  whom  the  prom- 
ise was  made;  and  it  was  ordained  by  angels  in  the 
hand  of  a  mediator ' ' ;  and  that  the  law  was  a  school- 
master to  bring  the  people  unto  Christ.  (Galatians 
3: 19,  24)  In  other  words,  Jehovah  was  teaching  the 
children  of  Israel  concerning  the  great  sin-offering 
that  must  be  made  on  behalf  of  mankind  and  he  was 
using  them  to  make  living  pictures;  and  the  record 
of  the  events  concerning  them  has  enabled  all  stu- 
dents of  the  Bible  since  to  see  how  Jehovah  foreshad- 
owed the  redemption  and  deliverance  of  mankind 
from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  death.  To  foreshadow 
means  to  foretell  something  coming;  and  this  shows 
how  important  the  great  ransom  is  to  mankind,  that 
God  would  take  so  much  time  and  go  into  so  much 
detail  to  teach  the  people  by  these  pictures.  Hence 
this  should  encourage  us  to  study  the  subject  earnestly 
that  we  might  see,  understand,  and  appreciate  it. 

RANSOM  PROMISED 

Adam  was  sentenced  to  death,  and  when  he 
actually  went  into  death  after  930  years,  justice  was 
satisfied.  The  law  demanded  the  life  of  a  perfect  hu- 
man being.  It  had  received  it  when  Adam  died.  Be- 
tween the  time  of  Adam's  sentence  and  the  time  of 
his  death  he  begat  many  children  that  Vv^ere  bom  into 
the  earth.  These,  being  bom  imperfect,  had  no  right 
to  life;  hence  the  living  of  the  children  was  only 
by  permission  of  Jehovah,  and  every  one  who  died, 
died  because  of  imperfection  resulting  from  the  sin 
of  father  Adam. 

The  Scriptures  clearly  show  that  God  planned 
long  in  advance  for  the  redemption  and  deliverance 
of  the  hiunan  race.  Hence  his  wisdom  led  him  to  em- 


The  Ransom 


123 


brace  in  the  effects  of  this  death  sentence  all  of  the 
human  family,  all  of  the  offspring  of  Adam,  so  that 
in  due  time  he  might  redeem  them  all  through  the 
sacrifice  of  one.  (Galatians  3:22)  The  sentence 
against  Adam  and  the  resulting  effects  upon  all  of  his 
offspring  must  stand.  An  earthly  court  may  reverse 
its  judgment  because  imperfect,  but  God  can  not  re- 
verse his,  because  it  is  perfect ;  and  he  can  not  deny 
himself.  He  could  make  provision,  however,  for  an- 
other man  exactly  equivalent  to  Adam  to  go  into 
death  voluntarily;  and  by  thus  dying  his  life  could 
be  given  as  a  corresponding  price  for  Adam  and  his 
offspring,  that  Adam  and  his  offspring  might  be  re- 
leased from  death  and  given  a  trial  for  life.  The 
Scriptures  definitely  show  that  it  was  God's  pur- 
pose and  intention  from  the  beginning  to  make  just 
such  a  provision.  He  made  a  specific  promise  to  this 
effect  when  he  said:  **I  will  ransom  them  from  the 
power  of  the  grave ;  I  will  redeem  them  from  death : 
O  death,  I  will  be  thy  plagues ;  O  grave,  I  will  be  thy 
destruction.'*  (Hosea  13:14)  This  promise  of  Jeho- 
vah to  ransom  the  human  race  must  be  carried  out, 
because  God  is  unchangeable.  Having  made  the 
promise,  he  will  perform  it. — ^IVIalachi  3 :  6 ;  Jas.  1 : 17. 

It  is  very  important,  then,  that  we  understand 
the  meaning  of  ransom;  hence  we  here  define  it. 
Ransom  means  something  to  loosen  with;  that  is,  a 
redemptive  price.  It  is  the  means  or  price  or  value 
which  can  be  used  in  loosening  or  releasing  some- 
thing that  is  in  bondage  or  in  restraint  or  imprisoned. 
Necessarily  the  ransom  price  must  be  exactly  equiva- 
lent to,  or  corresponding  with,  that  which  justice  re- 
quires of  the  thing  or  being  that  is  in  bondage  or 
imprisonment.  Hence  we  say  that  ransom  means  an 
exact  corresponding  price.  A  perfect  man  sinned  and 


124 


The  Harp  of  God 


was  sentenced  to  death;  hence  an  exact  correspond- 
ino-  price  would  be  the  death  of  another  perfect  man 
aiid  the  value  of  that  life  presented  in  place  of  the 
one  who  first  sinned  and  was  held  in  bondage. 

'^^^  Sin-offering  means  the  presentation  and  use  of 
the  ransom  price.  On  the  atonement  day  performed 
hy  the  Jews  in  t^T^e,  the  blood  of  the  bullock  repre- 
sented the  poured-out  life ;  and  therefore  it  stood  for 
the  ransom  price  or  value  of  the  life.  The  carrying 
of  the  blood  into  the  Most  Holy  and  sprinkling  it 
there  pictured  the  sin-offering,  that  is,  a  presentation 
in  the  IMost  Holy  (which  represented  heaven  itself) 
of  the  value  or  merit  of  the  perfect  life.  We  will 
see,  therefore,  as  we  examine  this  question  that  the 
ransom  price  was  provided  on  earth  by  the  death  of 
Jesus;  that  preparation  for  the  sin-offering  v/as  be- 
gun on  earth,  but  must  be  finished  in  heaven,  where 
the  valae  of  the  ransom  price  is  presented. 

Other  scriptures  show  that  it  was  intended  by 
Jehovah  that  the  great  Redeemer  should  pour  out  his 
life  in  death  and  that  this  should  constitute  the  ran- 
som price,  which  should  be  made  an  offering  for  sin. 
God  foretold  this,  which  is  equivalent  to  a  promise, 
through  his  prophet  when  he  wrote  concerning  the 
great  coming  Redeemer  the  following: 

zoK'^Yj^Q  hath  believed  our  report?  and  to  whom 
is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed?  For  he  shall  grow 
up  before  him  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as  a  root  out  of 
a  dry  ground:  he  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness;  and 
when  v/e  shall  see  him,  there  is  no  beauty  that  we 
should  desire  him.  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of 
men;  a  man  of  sorows,  and  acquainted  with  grief: 
and  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  him;  he  was 
despised,  and  we  esteemed  him  not.  Surely  he  hath 
borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows:  yet  we 


The  Ransom 


125 


did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God,  and  afflicted. 
But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities:  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  was  upon  him;  and  -svith  his  stripes  we  are 
healed.  All  we,  like  sheep,  have  gone  astray ;  we  have 
turned  every  one  to  his  own  way ;  and  the  Lord  hath 
laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.  He  was  oppressed, 
and  he  was  afflicted;  yet  he  opened  not  his  mouth: 
he  is  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a 
sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  openeth  not 
his  mouth.  He  was  taken  from  prison  and  from 
judgment:  and  who  shall  declare  his  generation?  for 
he  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the  living:  for  the 
transgression  of  my  people  was  he  stricken.  And  he 
made  his  grave  %vith  the  wicked,  and  with  the  rich  in 
his  death;  because  he  had  done  no  violence,  neither 
was  any  deceit  in  his  mouth.  Yet  it  pleased  the  Lord 
to  bruise  him;  he  hath  put  him  to  grief:  when  thou 
shalt  make  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall  see 
his  seed,  he  shall  prolong  his  days,  and  the  pleasure 
of  the  Lord  shall  prosper  in  his  hand.  He  shall  see 
of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied:  by 
his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous  servant  justify 
many;  for  he  shall  bear  their  iniquities.  Therefore 
will  I  divide  him  a  portion  with  the  great,  and  he 
shall  divide  the  spoil  with  the  strong;  because  he 
hath  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death:  and  he  was 
numbered  with  the  transgressors;  and  he  bare  the 
sin  of  many,  and  made  intercession  for  the  transgres- 
sors."— Isaiah  53. 

Because  of  this  death  sentence  standing  against 
Adam,  he  was  and  is  held  in  death.  He  and  his  off- 
spring who  have  died  are  in  the  grave  spoken  of  by 
the  prophet.— Job  17  : 13  ;  3 : 18. 


126 


The  Harp  of  God 


QUALIFICATIONS  REQUIRED 

The  dead  could  never  again  live,  nor  could  those 
who  are  living  ever  hope  to  have  eternal  happiness 
unless  the  disability  resting  upon  manldnd  because  of 
sin  be  first  removed ;  and  the  Scripture  is  quite  clear, 
as  above  noticed,  that  this  can  be  removed  only  by 
means  of  the  great  ransom  sacrifice.  Since  ransom 
means  an  exact  corresponding  price,  the  ransomer 
must  be  exactly  like  the  perfect  Adam  in  Eden. 

A  perfect  man  had  sinned  and  lost  everything ; 
therefore  none  but  a  perfect  man  could  provide  a 
price  sufficient  to  buy  and  release  Adam  and  his  race 
from  this  sentence  of  death  and  its  effects.  Divine 
justice  demanded  the  life  of  a  perfect  human  being 
and  this  was  received  when  Adam  went  into  death. 
It  followed  that  divine  justice  would  accept  nothing 
more  or  less,  as  a  price  for  releasing  Adam  and  his 
offspring,  than  a  perfect  human  life.  In  order  to 
meet  these  divine  requirements,  the  ransomer  must 
be  a  perfect  human  being. 

205  ^Yhen  God  gave  the  law  to  Israel  at  Mount 
Sinai  he  indicated  by  the  promise  of  that  law  that 
the  only  means  by  which  the  human  race  could  be 
redeemed  or  ransomed  would  be  by  the  giving  of  a 
perfect  human  life  in  the  place  of  Adam's  perfect 
human  life,  which  he  had  forfeited  by  his  disobedi- 
ence. We  remember  that  Paul  said  that  this  law  was 
a  shadow  of  better  things  to  come.  That  law  required 
an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  a  foot  for  a 
foot,  a  life  for  a  life;  that  is  to  say,  a  price  exactly 
corresponding  to  that  which  had  been  lost.  As  an 
illustration:  Under  the  law  if  one  man  knocked  out 
another's  tooth,  he  must  lose  one  of  his  own  teeth. 
If  he  struck  out  a  man's  eye,  he  must  give  up  liis 
own  eye.  If  he  took  the  life  of  his  fellow  creature, 


The  Ransom 


127 


he  must  give  up  his  own  life.  Thus  the  law  pictured 
that  the  great  ransomer  would  correspond  exactly 
with  the  perfect  man  Adam  when  Adam  was  in 
Eden.— Exodus  21:23-25;  Leviticus  24:17-21;  Deu- 
teronomy 19 : 21. 

man's  extremity 

But  who  in  all  the  world  was  able  to  bear  this 
burden  or  meet  the  requirements  of  the  divine  law? 
Adam  could  not  redeem  himself.  All  of  his  offspring 
were  imperfect  and  God  could  not  accept  an  imper- 
fect human  being  as  a  ransom.  Was  there  nobody, 
then,  on  earth  who  could  redeem  the  human  race  from 
death  according  to  God's  promise?  The  prophet  of 
the  Lord  answers:  ''None  of  them  [no  creature  on 
earth]  can  hy  any  means  redeem  his  brother,  nor  give 
to  God  a  ransom  for  him. ' '  ( Psalm  49:7)  For  this 
reason,  then,  it  seemed  hopeless  for  man  ever  to  ex- 
pect to  be  released  from  the  condition  of  death. 

20T  Furthermore,  this  judgment  and  sentence  against 
Adam  was  entered  in  the  divine  court  of  heaven  and 
it  follows  that  the  ransom  price,  namely,  the  value  of 
a  perfect  human  life,  must  not  only  be  provided  by 
the  death  of  a  perfect  human  being,  but  the  value 
of  that  life  must  be  presented  to  divine  justice  in 
heaven  itself ;  and  no  human  being  has  access  to  heaven. 

Hence  there  were  two  reasons  why  it  was  utterly 
impossible  for  any  of  Adam's  stock  or  offspring  to 
redeem  mankind:  (1)  Because  all  were  imperfect  and 
could  not  provide  the  price;  and  (2)  if  the  price  were 
provided,  it  could  not  be  presented  in  heaven  by  any 
such. 

Thus  is  presented  to  the  human  race  a  condition 
of  absolute  helplessness.  Thus  we  see  that  mankind 
was  wholly  without  power  to  release  itself  from  the 


128 


The  Harp  of  God 


condition  of  death,  and  that  there  never  could  be  any 
hope  of  any  one  of  the  human  family  enjoying  life 
everlasting  in  a  state  of  happiness  unless  God,  in  the 
exercise  of  his  loving-ldndness,  should  make  some  pro- 
vision. He  had  promised  to  make  such  provision.  His 
great  plan  pro\dded  for  such.  It  is  first  necessary, 
however,  for  us  to  see  man's  absolute  extremity  in 
order  that  we  may  appreciate  God's  opportunity  for 
blessing  mankind,  and  the  great  debt  which  the  hu- 
man race  owes  to  Jehovah  and  his  beloved  Son  for 
the  pro^dsion  made. 

If  a  man  found  himself  and  his  family  in  a 
dungeon  and  a  million  dollars  were  required  to  re- 
lease him,  and  he  had  not  one  penny,  but  a  friend 
of  his  appeared  and  provided  the  money  and  released 
him  and  his  family,  that  man  would  owe  a  great  debt 
of  gratitude  to  his  deliverer.  He  would  feel  much 
gratitude  in  his  heart.  He  would  surely  love  his  de- 
liverer and  v/ould  be  anxious  to  do  anything  he  could 
for  liim..  Adam  and  all  of  his  family  are  either  in  the 
condition  of  death  or  under  the  effects  of  death ;  and 
if  we  fijid  that  the  great  Jehovah  God  has  made  pro- 
vision for  the  release  and  deliverance  of  all  such  from 
the  tomb,  with  a  view  to  granting  them  everlasting 
life,  liberty,  and  happiness,  then  such  fact  should 
bring  joy  to  the  heart  of  every  one  who  learns  of  it. 

THE  GREAT  RANSOMER 

The  Apostle  Paul,  having  in  mind  these  things, 
wrote:  **We  were  children  in  bondage  under  the  ele- 
m-ents  of  the  world :  but  when  the  fulness  of  the  time 
was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman, 
made  under  the  law."  (Galatians  4:3,4)  How  did 
God  send  his  Son?  Since  a  perfect  man  had  sinned 
and  the  life  of  a  perfect  man  must  be  given  as  a 


The  Ransom 


129 


sin-o^:ering,  it  is  now  important  to  see  if  the  Son  of 
God  wliom  he  sent  was  qualified  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  law  and  be  the  ransomer  or  redeemer. 

It  is  easy  to  be  seen  that  Jesus  when  on  earth 
could  not  have  been  merely  an  incarnated  spirit  be- 
ing, because  that  would  constitute  a  fraud,  and  God 
would  not  sanction  anything  wrong.  He  must  be  a 
man,  perfect  in  every  respect,  equal  and  correspond- 
ing to  the  perfect  Adara  while  in  Eden.  It  is  also 
easy  to  be  seen  that  Jesus  could  not  be  part  God  and 
part  man,  because  that  would  be  more  than  the  law 
required;  hence  divine  justice  could  not  accept  such 
as  a  ransom.  The  divine  lav/  definitely  shows  that 
the  ransomer  must  be  exactly  corresponding  to  Adam, 
a  perfect  human  being.  How,  then,  did  God  send 
his  Son?  And  when  he  sent  him,  was  he  part  man 
and  part  God? 

213  rpi^g  Scriptures  answer,  as  we  have  heretofore 
seen,  that  prior  to  his  coming  to  earth  he  was  the 
Logos,  a  spirit  being ;  that  his  life  was  transferred  to 
the  human  plane  and  he  was  born  a  human  being. 
He  was  rich  and  for  our  sakes  became  poor  (2  Corin- 
thians 8:9);  that  is  to  say,  he  was  rich  in  heavenly 
glory  and  power  possessed  by  him  as  the  great  active 
agent  of  Jehovah  in  the  creation  of  all  things,  and 
he  became  poor  by  becoming  a  man.  It  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  him  to  be  a  perfect  man ;  hence  he  must 
be  born  holy,  harmless,  separate  from  sinners  and 
without  sin;  and  he  met  this  requirement.  (Hebrews 
7 :  26)  Furthermore,  he  met  the  requirements  because 
he  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  amongst  men.  (John 
1: 14)  He  partook  of  flesh  and  blood,  became  a  hu- 
man being  for  the  very  purpose  of  destroying  him 
that  has  the  power  of  death,  that  is  the  Devil,  and 
to  deliver  manldnd.  (Hebrews  2: 14, 15)  He  took  up- 


130 


The  Harp  of  God 


on  himself  the  form  of  a  servant  or  bondsman  and 
was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men.  (Philippians  2:7) 
He  was  the  only  perfect  man  that  has  ever  lived  on 
earth,  except  Adam.  He  was  not  part  human  and 
part  spirit  being,  because  *'he  was  made  a  little  lov/er 
than  the  angels  for  the  suffering  of  death".  Angels 
are  spirit  beings,  and  thus  creatures  that  are  lower 
than  angels  are  human  beings.  He  was  human.  Had 
he  been  part  God  and  part  man  he  would  have  been 
higher  than  the  angels  instead  of  lower,  for  the 
reason  that  angels  are  the  lowest  order  of  spirit  beings. 

Being  a  perfect  man,  he  had  the  power  to  pro- 
duce a  perfect  race  of  people  and  with  these  populate 
the  earth;  therefore  in  every  respect  exactly  corres- 
ponding to  the  perfect  man  Adam  in  the  condition 
he  was  in  while  in  Eden.  He  was  perfect  in  every 
respect,  full  of  grace  and  truth.  (John  1: 14)  When 
he  stood  before  Pilate,  silent  as  a  sheep  is  dumb  be- 
fore its  shearers,  when  the  mob  incited  by  the  Je^vish 
clergy  of  that  time  were  demanding  his  life-blood, 
Pilate,  in  order  that  he  might  shame  the  Jews  for 
such  action,  cried  out  unto  them:  Behold  the  man." 
The  emphasis  here  is  on  the  word  the.  We  might 
paraphrase  Pilate's  words  thus:  'The  man  whom  you 
are  asking  me  to  put  to  death  is  not  only  the  greatest 
man  among  yau,  but  he  is  the  man  above  all  other 
men  on  earth.'  The  people  there  had  seen  a  perfect 
man.  None  of  us  have  seen  a  perfect  man.  He  was 
the  only  one  who  has  ever  lived  on  earth  qualified  to 
become  the  redeemer  of  manlrind.  He  was  sent  to 
earth  by  Jehovah  for  that  very  pupose.  Under  the 
law  that  God  gave  to  the  Jews  a  man  must  be  thirty 
years  of  age  before  he  had  reached  his  legal  majority, 
that  he  might  qualify  as  a  priest. 


The  Ransom 


131 


**^We  note  that  Jesus  grew  from  boyhood  to  man- 
hood's estate,  and  when  he  was  thirty  years  of  age 
he  presented  himself  to  John  at  Jordan  to  be  baptized. 
At  the  age  of  thirty,  then,  he  was  perfect  in  body, 
perfect  in  mind,  perfect  under  the  law,  in  every  re- 
spect an  absolutely  perfect  human  being ;  hence  quali- 
fied to  be  the  ransomer  or  redeemer  of  Adam,  the 
perfect  man,  and  of  all  Adam's  offspring. 

Why  did  God  send  his  beloved  Son,  this  great 
Man,  to  earth  ?  When  a  great  man  of  the  world  comes 
into  prominence  he  expects  others  to  minister  unto 
him,  and  they  do  minister  unto  him.  But  Jesus,  the 
greatest  man  who  has  ever  lived  on  earth,  and  the 
only  perfect  one  aside  from  Adam,  came  to  earth  and 
became  the  sen^ant  of  others,  that  he  might  render 
the  greatest  good  to  mankind.  Trae  greatness  consists 
in  doing  good  unto  others.  True  greatness  is  magni- 
fied in  Jesus.  He  was  the  truest  friend  of  the  human 
race.  He  said:  *'The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life 
a  ransom  for  many."  (Matthew  20:28)  And  again 
he  said:  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  shall 
be  your  minister  [servant]  :  and  whosoever  will  be 
the  chief  est,  shall  be  servant  of  all. ' ' — Mark  10 :  43,  44. 

The  perfect  man  Jesus  became  the  servant  of 
all.  The  importance  of  Jesus  and  his  work  is  magni- 
fied when  we  consider  that  he  in  heaven  and  in  earth 
was  the  dearest  treasure  to  Jehovah's  heart.  He  was 
God's  dearly  beloved  Son.  He  was  the  most  precious 
thing  possessed  by  the  great  Creator,  Jehovah.  It 
was  the  supreme  sacrifice  on  behalf  of  Jehovah  to  use 
him  to  redeem  the  human  race.  It  was  God's  great 
love  for  fallen  humanity  that  prompted  him  to  do 
this;  hence  we  read:  **God  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 


132 


The  Harp  of  God 


lieveth  in  him  slioiild  not  perish,  but  have  everlastinrj 
life.  For  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  con- 
demn the  world;  but  that  the  world  through  him 
might  be  saved."— John  3  : 16, 17. 

It  was  this  truly  good  and  truly  great  Man  who 
for  three  and  a  half  years  went  about  in  the  earth 
and  taught  and  ministered  unto  the  people  and  did 
good  unto  every  one  and  evil  unto  none.  All  the  time 
he  was  thus  ministering  and  doing  good,  the  scribes, 
Pharisees,  doctors  of  the  law  and  other  dupes  en- 
gaged in  misrepresenting  and  persecuting  the  Lord, 
sought  to  kill  him.  Why  did  they  do  this?  Because 
thej^  were  instruments  of  Satan,  the  Devil. — John  8 : 44. 

J esus,  the  Devil  knew,  v>ras  and  is  the  great  Seed 
of  promise  v/liich  God  had  promised  to  Abraham 
should  be  the  redeemer  and  blesser  of  mankind.  Je- 
sus Christ  is  the  Seed  of  the  woman  foreshadowed  in 
God's  statement  made  to  mother  Eve  and  Satan. 
(Genesis  3:15)  Satan  sought,  therefore,  in  every 
way  to  destroy  him.  Jesus  was  teaching  the  Jews  the 
message  of  God  to  lead  them  in  the  right  way,  and 
to  open  unto  them  the  way  of  life.  These  scribes  and 
Pharisees  were  opposing  him  and  therefore  were  the 
enemxies  of  the  people.  Jesus  said  of  them:  *'Tlie 
scribes  and  the  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  scat"  (Mat- 
thew 23:2);  meaning  that  they  had  assumed  the 
position  of  leaders  of  the  people.  Because  of  their 
blinding  the  people  he  said  to  them:  'You  are  hypo- 
crites, blind  guides,  fools;  you  shut  up  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  against  men;  you  devour  widows'  houses 
and  for  a  pretence  make  long  prayers;  you  compass 
sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselji:e,  and  when  he  is 
made,  you  make  him  twofold  more  the  child  of 
gehenna  than  yourselves.  You  are  guilty  of  fraud 
and  deceit,  and  you  are  like  unto  wMted  sepulchres, 


The  Ransom 


133 


which  are  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  all  unclean- 
ness;  you  are  serpents,  a  generation  of  vipers.  You 
do  not  understand  my  speech  because  you  can  not 
hear  and  understand  my  word.  You  are  of  your 
father  the  Devil.  '—Matthew  23 : 13-33 ;  John  8 :  43,  44. 

Jesus  knew  that  he  was  to  be  crucified  and  he 
told  his  disciples  of  his  coming  death.  The  last  night 
he  was  on  earth  with  them  he  spent  teaching  them 
great  lessons  and  truths  which  w^ere  not  only  a  bless- 
ing to  them,  but  have  been  a  great  blessing  to  every 
one  from  then  until  now  who  has  loved  the  Lord  and 
sought  to  know  and  do  his  will.  While  he  was  thus 
doing,  the  enemy  was  preparing  to  take  his  life.  The 
Sanhedrin  was  a  high  tribunal  or  court  composed  of 
seventy-three  men,  made  up  of  priests,  elders,  and 
doctors  of  the  law,  Pharisaical  hypocrites,  the  seed 
of  the  serpent,  blinded  to  God's  purposes.  That  body 
was  the  highest  court  of  Israel  and  it  was  the  duty 
of  this  court  to  protect  the  innocent  as  well  as  to 
punish  the  guilty.  They  beheld  Jesus  doing  good  and 
the  people  flocldng  to  him. 

221  <  ( Then  gathered  the  chief  priests  and  the 
Pharisees  a  council  [a  court],  and  said.  What  do  ye? 
for  this  man  doeth  many  miracles.  If  we  let  him 
thus  alone,  all  men  will  believe  on  him:  and  the  Ro- 
mans shall  come  and  take  away  both  our  place  and 
nation.  And  one  of  them,  named  Caiaphas,  being  the 
high  priest  that  same  year,  said  unto  them,  Ye  know 
nothing  at  all,  nor  consider  that  it  is  expedient  for 
us,  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people,  and  that 
the  whole  nation  perish  not.  And  this  spake  he  not 
of  himself:  but  being  high  priest  that  year,  he  pro- 
phesied that  Jesus  should  die  for  that  nation.  Then 
from  that  day  forth  they  took  counsel  together  for 
to  put  him  to  death."— John  11:47-51,  53. 


134 


The  Harp  of  God 


In  other  words,  this  supreme  tribunal  secretly 
met,  indicted  Jesus,  prejudged  his  case,  and  agreed 
to  put  him  to  death,  only  waiting  for  an  opportunity. 
They  acted  as  grand  jury,  prosecutor,  and  trial  court. 
They  entered  into  a  wicked  conspiracy,  which  was 
formulated  by  Satan,  their  father,  for  the  destruction 
of  the  Son  of  God.  They  conspired  with  Judas  and 
hired  him,  for  the  paltry  sum  of  thirty  pieces  of 
silver,  to  betray  the  Lord  into  their  hands.  Satan 
himself  entered  into  Judas  as  the  latter  executed  the 
betrayal.  Then  they  organized  a  mob,  sent  it  out 
after  the  Master,  arrested  him,  and  brought  him  be- 
fore this  supreme  court  for  trial  at  night,  v/hich  was 
contrary  to  their  own  laws.  '  *  They  that  had  laid  hold 
on  Jesus  led  him  away  to  Caiaphas  the  high  priest, 
where  the  scribes  and  the  elders  were  assembled,"  in 
furtherance  of  the  wicked  conspiracy. — Matt.  26 :  57. 

The  meek  and  defenseless  Lamb  of  God  was  led 
into  a  den  of  ravenous  wolves,  who  were  thirsting  for 
his  blood.  They  did  not  dignify  his  case  by  even 
filing  a  formal  charge  against  him.  They  sought,  con- 
trary to  the  law,  to  make  him  testify  against  himself. 
They  knew  nothing  themselves  against  him ;  and  not- 
withstanding they  sat  as  the  high  and  dignified  court 
of  the  nation  of  Israel,  they  resorted  to  subornation 
of  perjury.  '^Now  the  chief  priests,  and  elders,  and 
all  the  council  [the  entire  court],  sought  false  wit- 
ness against  Jesus,  to  put  him  to  death;  but  found 
none:  yea,  though  many  false  witnesses  came,  yet 
found  they  none.  At  the  last  came  two  false  wit- 
nesses.'' (Matthew  26:  59,  60)  This  exalted  tribunal, 
in  violation  of  every  law  and  every  precedent  knov/n 
to  Jev/ish  jurisprudence,  demanded  of  Jesus  that  he 
testify  against  himself.  ''The  high  priest  arase,  and 
said  unto  him,  .  ,  .  I  adjure  tliee  by  the  living  God, 


The  Ransom 


135 


that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God."  (Matthew  26:62,63)  And  when  he  told 
the  truth,  saying,  "Ye  say  that  I  am,"  they  said, 
''What  need  we  any  further  witness?  for  we  our- 
selves have  heard  of  his  own  mouth."  (Lul^e  22:  66- 
71)  They  immediately  voted  that  he  should  die,  also 
contrary  to  their  law,  which  required  that  each  mem- 
ber of  the  court  sliould  consider  the  ease  and  then 
vote  individually.  Holding  the  session  of  court  at 
night  to  convict  him,  they  knew  they  were  proceed- 
ing contrary  to  law;  so  they  convened  the  court  the 
following  morning  to  ratify  the  sentence,  v>^hich  was 
likewise  contrary  to  law. 

^"^^  They  condemned  Jesus  to  death,  but  knew  they 
had  no  legal  power  to  put  him  to  death.  Then  they 
led  him  before  the  Roman  governor,  Pilate,  and 
placed  against  him  the  charge  of  sedition,  saying, 
"We  found  this  fellow  perverting  the  nation,  and 
forbidding  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar,  saying  that  he 
himself  is  Christ  a  King."  (Lul^e  23:1,2)  They 
knew  the  Roman  governor  had  power  to  put  Jesus 
to  death,  and  for  this  reason  they  sought  his  judgment. 

Pilate  was  not  convinced  of  Jesus'  guilt  and  was 
not  willing  that  he  should  die,  but  sought  to  release 
him.  "Then  said  Pilate  to  the  chief  priests  and  to 
the  people,  I  find  no  fault  in  tliis  man.  And  they 
were  the  more  fierce,  saying.  He  stirretli  up  the  peo- 
ple.'^ (Luke  23 :  4,  5)  When  Pilate  sought  to  release 
him,  his  accusers  "cried  out,  saying.  If  thou  let  this 
man  go,  thou  art  not  Cassar's  friend:  whosoever 
maketh  himself  a  king,  speaketh  against  C?esar", 
against  the  civil  power,  and  such  is  therefore  guilty 
of  sedition.  (John  19:12)  "And  he  [Pilate]  said 
unto  them  the  third  time,  Why,  what  evil  hath  he 
done?  I  have  found  no  cause  of  death  in  him;  I 


136 


The  Harp  of  God 


will  therefore  chastise  him,  and  let  him  go.  And  they 
were  instant  with  loud  voices,  requiring  that  he  might 
be  crucined.  And  the  voices  of  them  and  of  the  chief 
priests  prevailed.  And  Pilate  gave  sentence  that  it 
should  be  as  they  required.''  (Luke  23:  22-24)  Thus 
the  civil  power  yielded  to  the  importunities  of  ecele- 
siasticism,  and  Jesus  was  led  awaj^  and  crucified  on 
Calvary's  hill.  And  Pilate,  more  righteous  than  the 
clerics,  posted  over  his  cross  the  sign:  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews." 

2"'"'  Thus  died  the  Son  of  God,  the  great  antitypical 
*'Lanib  .  .  .  v."hich  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  ". 
(John  1:29)  In  the  eyes  of  those  that  stood  by  he 
died  as  a  sinner,  crucified  between  two  thieves,  under 
the  charge  of  disloyalty  to  the  constituted  powers, 
yet  wholly  innocent,  harmless,  and  without  sin. 

Here  he  fulfilled  that  which  the  prophet  of  God 
had  foretold  of  him  long  in  advance,  in  that  he 

poured  out  his  soul  unto  death:  and  he  was  num- 
bered with  the  transgressors;  and  he  bare  the  sin 
of  many".— Isaiah  53: 12. 

WHY  MUST  HE  DIE? 

But  why  should  the  great,  the  good,  the  pure, 
the  sinless  Llan  die  in  such  an  ignominious  manner  as 
this?  Was  there  no  other  means  whereby  man  could 
live?  The  Scriptures  answer  that  there  is  no  other 
way  whereb}'  man  could  get  life.  Divine  justice  de- 
manded the  life  of  the  perfect  man  Adam  and  took 
that  life.  Divine  justice  could  receive  nothing  as  a 
substitute  for  Adam  except  the  life  of  a  perfect  hu- 
man being.  Adam  was  put  to  death  because  he  was 
a  sinner.  The  one  who  would  redeem  Adam  must  die 
as  a  sinner,  yet  without  sin.  And  all  this  Jesus  did. 


The  Ransom 


137 


^-^  It  is  important  here  for  us  to  see  why  Jesus 
came  to  earth,  grev/  to  manhood's  estate  and  died. 
The  prophet,  speaking  the  words  of  Jesus  before- 
hand, said:  '*Lo,  I  come:  in  the  volume  of  the  book 
it  is  written  of  me,  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  my 
God:  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart."  (Psalm 
40 :  7,  8 ;  Hebrews  10 :  7-10)  Thus  we  see  that  he  had 
come  to  do  God's  Y:ill.  The  Apostle  Paul  expressed 
the  will  of  God  concerning  mankind  when  he  said: 
**God  .  .  .  desires  all  men  to  be  saved  [from  death], 
and  to  come  to  an  accurate  Imowledge  of  the  truth." 
(1  Timothy  2:3,4,  Diaglott)  This  is  in  harmony 
with  God's  promise  that  he  would  redeem  mankind 
from  death  (Hosea  13:14);  and  since  Jesus  came 
to  carry  out  the  Father's  will  to  ransom  the  human 
race,  he  must  do  this.  This  is  the  only  means  where- 
by man  could  live.  Therefore  Jesus  said :  * '  I  am  come 
that  they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might  have 
it  more  abundantly. ' ' — John  10 : 10. 

Jesus  likened  his  humanity  to  bread.  He  said : 
"I  am  that  bread  of  life.  This  is  the  bread  which 
cometh  down  from  heaven  that  a  man  may  eat  there- 
of, and  not  die.  For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  my 
blood  is  drink  indeed.  As  the  living  Father  sent  me, 
and  I  live  by  the  Father:  so  he  that  eateth  me,  even 
he  shall  live  by  me."  (John  6 :  48,  50,  55,  57)  By  this 
we  understand  that  Jesus  gave  up  his  human  life  in 
order  that  the  value  thereof  might  be  presented  to 
divine  justice  in  heaven  as  the  great  ransom  price. 
To  eat  means  to  partake  of  food  to  satisfy  hunger. 
He  who  hungers  for  righteousness  and  partakes  of 
the  value  of  Jesus'  sacrifice  by  believing  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  doing  the  Father's  YnW,  that  one 
will  have  life  and  thus  will  satisfy  his.  hunger.  The 


138 


The  Harp  of  God 


Apostle  Paul  makes  it  clear  that  the  death  of  Jesus 
was  for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  human  race  when  he 
says:  'Jesus,  ...  by  the  grace  of  God,  tasted  death 
for  every  man. '  ' '  There  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator 
between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus;  who 
gave  him.self  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be  testified  in  due 
time. '  '—Hebrews  2 :  9  ;  1  Timothy  2:5,6. 

"^"Sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law.''  (1  John 
3:4)  *'The  wages  of  sin  is  death."  (Romans  6:23) 
Adam  transgressed  the  divine  law  and  for  this  rea- 
son suffered  the  penalty  of  death,  and  this  penalty 
came  upon  all  mankind  by  inheritance.  Jesus  the 
perfect  man  permitted  his  life  to  be  taken  that  it 
might  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  releasing  Adam 
and  his  offspring  from  the  great  enemy  death,  and 
that  they  might  have  a  full  opportunity  for  life. 
Hence  his  life  was  made  an  offering  for  sin,  or  a 
sin-offering. 

For  many  centuries  Jehovah  foreshadowed  this 
great  event  in  his  plan,  and  this  adds  to  the  impor- 
tance of  it ;  in  fact,  without  the  sacrifice  of  J esus  it 
would  have  been  impossible  for  any  of  the  human 
race  ever  to  live  at  all. 

Looking  back,  then,  at  the  picture  that  Jehovah 
made  by  the  use  of  the  Jewish  people  and  their  cere- 
monies, we  see  that  the  bullock  slain  on  the  atonement 
day  pictured  Jesus  the  perfect  man  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years.  The  court  surrounding  the  tabernacle 
was  a  picture  of  perfect  humanity.  Therefore  the 
bullock  slain  in  the  court  foreshadowed  or  pictured 
the  fact  that  the  perfect  man  Jesus  died  in  that  con- 
dition on  earth  as  a  perfect  man.  By  his  death  he 
provided  the  ransom  price.  He  did  this  to  carry  out 
the  Father's  plan. 


The  Ransom 


139 


In  the  picture,  the  slaying  of  the  bullock  was 
the  beginning  of  the  sin-offering.  After  the  bullock 
was  slain  its  blood  was  put  into  a  vessel  and  the  high 
priest  carried  it  in  this  vessel,  ultimately  reaching  the 
Most  Holy,  where  it  was  sprinlded,  as  aforemen- 
tioned. The  high  priest  in  the  Holy  pictured  Jesus 
during  the  three  and  one-half  years  of  his  sacrificial 
ministry;  and  the  high  priest's  appearance  in  the 
Most  Holy  pictures  Jesus  the  high  priest,  resurrected 
to  the  divine  nature,  appearing  in  heaven  itself  in 
the  presence  of  God,  there  to  present  the  merit  of 
his  sacrifice  as  the  sin-offering  on  behalf  of  mankind. 
— Hebrews  9 :  24. 

235  rpj^g  Scriptures  clearly  show  that  Jesus  was  the 
antitypical  bullock  and  was  made  an  offering  for  sin 
on  behalf  of  manldnd ;  first  on  behalf  of  the  church, 
subsequently  on  behalf  of  the  whole  world.  Christ 
died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  scriptures"  (1 
Corinthians  15:3)  ;  *^wlio  gave  himself  for  our  sins, 
that  he  might  deliver  us  from  this  present  evil  world, 
according  to  the  will  of  God  and  our  Father"  (Gala- 
tians  1:4)  ;  ''for  he  hath  made  him  to  be  sin  [an 
offering  for  sin]  for  us,  who  [Jesus]  knew  no  sin; 
that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
him."— 2  Corinthians  5:21. 

236  rpj^g  ^Yiat  God  gave  to  the  Israelites  merely 
foreshadowed  what  great  things  Jesus  would  do.  Be- 
cause of  the  imperfections  of  mankind,  Moses  and 
others,  that  law  could  not  accomplish  the  deliverance 
of  mankind  from  death.  ' '  For  what  the  law  could  not 
do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the  fiesh,  God,  send- 
ing his  own  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and 
for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh, '  * — ^Romans  8 :  3. 

^^'^  In  the  type,  the  slaying  of  the  bullock  and  the 
carrying  of  its  blood  into  the  Holy  as  a  typical  sin- 


140 


The  Harp  of  God 


offering  foreshadowed  the  fact  that  the  redemption  of 
man's  sins  could  be  accomplished  only  through  the 
blood  of  the  perfect  sacrifice.  And  for  this  reason,  says 
the  Apostle  Paul,  ''Without  the  shedding  of  blood  is 
no  remission.  It  was  therefore  necessary  that  the  pat- 
terns of  things  in  the  heavens  should  be  purified  with 
these ;  but  the  heavenly  things  themselves  with  better 
sacrifices  than  these."  (Hebrews  9  :  22,  23)  The  pat- 
terns here  referred  to  are  the  Holy  and  the  Most  Holy 
in  the  tabernacle  picture,  which  foreshadowed  or  pic- 
tured the  heavenly  condition;  and  the  entrance  of 
the  high  priest  into  the  Most  Holy  of  the  tabernacle 
with  the  blood  foreshadowed  Christ  Jesus  entering 
heaven.  *'For  Christ  is  not  entered  into  the  holy 
places  made  with  hands,  which  are  the  figures  of  the 
true;  but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  in  the 
presence  of  God  for  us." — Hebrews  9:  24. 

When  Jesus  died  upon  the  cross  of  Calvary  he 
provided  the  ransom  price,  because  his  was  the  death 
of  a  perfect  human  being,  exactly  corresponding  with 
the  perfect  man  Adam.  Adam's  death,  however,  was 
the  result  of  a  forfeited  right  to  live.  Jesus'  death 
was  a  sacrifice.  Adam  was  a  sinner  and  died  a  sinner. 
Jesus  was  perfect,  holy,  and  without  sin;  and  while 
he  died  in  the  same  m^anner,  yet  by  his  death  he  did 
not  forfeit  the  right  to  live  as  a  human  being.  By 
dying  he  reduced  his  perfect  human  life  to  an  asset 
that  might  thereafter  be  used  to  release  Adam  and 
his  offspring  from  death. 

239  •j^Qj.Q  gjy^  illustration  to  aid  in  under- 
standing tliis  point.  For  convenience  we  will  call  a 
man  John.  John  is  languishing  in  prison  because  he 
can  not  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars.  He  has 
a  brother  named  Charles  who  is  willing  to  pay  the 
fine  for  his  brother  John,  but  who  has  no  money  with 


The  Ransom 


141 


which  to  pay.  Charles  is  strong  and  vigorous,  has 
time  to  work,  is  willing  to  work,  and  can  earn  money 
by  working;  but  his  strength  and  time  and  \villing- 
ness  will  not  pay  the  debt  for  John.  Mr.  Smith  has 
some  work  to  be  done  and  is  willing  to  pay  money 
to  have  it  done.  Charles  engages  himself  to  work  for 
Mr.  Smith  and  earns  one  hundred  dollars  and  re- 
ceives that  amount  of  money  in  cash.  By  his  labor 
Charles  has  here  reduced  his  time  and  strength  and 
vigor  to  a  money  value  and  has  received  that  money 
value,  which  money  has  purchasing  power  and  which 
can  be  used  to  pay  John's  obligation  and  thus  re- 
lease him  from  prison. 

Charles  then  appears  before  the  court  which  has 
entered  the  judgment  against  his  brother  John,  and 
offers  to  pay  the  one  hundred  dollars  v/hich  the  law 
demands  of  John.  The  money  is  accepted  from 
Charles  and  John  is  released.  By  this  means  John  is 
judicially  relieved  from  the  effects  of  the  judgment 
and  is  set  free,  and  his  brother  Charles  has  become 
his  ransomer  or  deliverer. 

In  this  illustration  John  represents  Adam.  Be- 
cause Adam  \dolated  God's  law,  Jehovah  judicially 
determined  that  Adam  should  forfeit  his  life  by  dy- 
ing. He  enforced  tliis  judgment  during  a  period  of 
930  years,  during  which  time  Adam  begat  all  of  his 
children.  The  effect  of  sentencing  Adam  to  death  was 
to  render  all  of  his  children  subject  to  death.  Adam 
went  into  death,  and  since  then  great  numbers  of 
his  children  have  likewise  died.  We  can  say,  then, 
that  Adam  and  all  those  who  have  died  and  are  in 
their  graves  are  in  the  condition  of  death,  and  that 
is  what  the  prophet  of  the  Lord  calls  it. 

In  this  picture  Charles  represents  Jesus.  It  v/as 
God's  wiU  that  the  perfect  man  Jesus  should  redeem 


142 


The  Harp  of  God 


Adam  and  his  offspring  from  the  condition  of  death. 
Jesus  was  willing  to  pay  Adam's  debt  and  redeem 
him,  but  the  perfect,  righteous,  human  being  Jesus 
could  not  accomplish  that  purpose  while  living  in  the 
flesh,  for  the  same  reason  that  Charles  could  not  use 
his  strength,  time,  and  energy  to  pay  the  debt  of  his 
brother  John,  but  must  first  reduce  those  things  to 
a  purchasing  value.  J esus  must  reduce  his  perfect  hu- 
manity to  a  purchasing  value,  which  we  may  call 
merit,  and  which  ra.erit  or  purchasing  value  would  be 
sufficient  for  the  payment  of  Adam 's  debt  and  release 
Adam  and  his  offspring  from  that  judgment.  In  order 
to  provide  this  price  it  was  necessary  for  Jesus  to  die. 
In  his  death  upon  Calvarj^  then,  he  produced  the 
price.  But  the  value  of  that  price  must  be  presented 
before  Jehovah  in  heaven  itself  before  Jehovah  could 
release  Adam  or  his  descendants  from  the  effect  of 
death.  And  this,  we  shall  see  from  the  Scriptures, 
is  what  was  done. 

The  inspired  writer  in  the  divine  Word  tells  us 
that  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  all  men  should  be 
saved  from  death  by  the  ransom  price  and  then 
brought  to  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  truth,  in 
order  that  they  might  accept  the  benefits  of  the  ran- 
som and  live.  In  due  time  the  Imowledge  of  these 
great  truths  will  be  given  to  every  one  of  Adam's 
race.  (1  Timothy  2:3-6)  The  ransom  price  was  pro- 
vided at  the  cross.  The  cross  of  Christ  is  the  great 
pivotal  truth  of  the  divine  arrangement,  from  which 
radiate  the  hopes  of  men.  When  all  men  come  to  a 
Imowledge  of  this  fact  and  all  the  obedient  ones  have 
profited  by  the  value  of  the  ransom  sacrifice,  there 
will  be  great  rejoicing  amongst  the  human  race. 
When  the  grand  finale  is  sung  and  all  the  harpers 
of  heaven  and  earth  unite  in  beautiful  harmony, 


The  Ransom 


143 


blending  with  the  voices  of  all  creatures  perfected 
and  happy,  the  great  ransom  sacrifice  will  be  recog- 
nized by  all  as  one  of  the  strings  of  the  harp  of  God 
that  %vill  yield  sweet  music  to  every  ear.  Then  all  can 
truly  sing: 

"In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory, 
Tow'ring  o'er  the  wrecks  of  time ; 

All  the  light  of  sacred  story 

Gathers  round  its  head  sublime." 

In  order  for  the  human  race  to  receive  the  bene- 
fit of  the  ransom  sa<*Tifice,  it  was  essential  for  Jesus 
to  be  raised  from  the  dead.  His  resurrection  is  there- 
fore of  vital  importance,  and  this  constitutes  another 
string  of  the  harp,  which  we  will  treat  separately. 


Why  is  the  ransom  the  most  vital  string  upon  the  harp 
of  God?  ir  177. 

What  effect  will  its  appreciation  have  upon  the  human 
race?  H  177. 

What  is  the  most  precious  thing  possessed  by  any  crea- 
ture, and  why?  "IT  178. 

When  can  a  creature  properly  glorify  his  Creator?  ^  178. 

In  whose  image  was  man  created?  If  179. 

What  did  God  give  to  man  at  the  time  of  his  ci^eation? 
H  179. 

What  is  the  difference  between  life  and  the  right  to  life? 
If  179. 

Describe  the  condition  and  environment  of  Adam  and  Eve 
in  Eden.  ^  179. 

Were  Adam  and  Eve  informed  as  to  what  would  be  the 
result  of  the  violation  of  God's  law?  ^  179. 

Was  there  any  real  wrong  in  eating  the  fruit?  and  if  not, 
wherein  was  the  wrong  done  by  man?  If  180. 

What  was  the  effect  of  the  sentence  pronounced  against 
man?  f  180. 

Wl)at  was  the  effect  of  the  execution  of  that  sentence? 
If  180. 

In  what  manner  was  the  sentence  executed?  If  180. 


144 


The  Harp  of  God 


When  did  Adam  and  Eve  first  exercise  the  power  of  pro- 
ducing their  offspring?  \\  181. 

Was  it  possible  for  them  to  have  perfect  children?  and  if 
not,  why  not?  tl  181. 

Their  children  were  born  and  lived,  but  did  they  have  a 
right  to  life?  and  if  not,  why  not?  If  181. 

What  is  the  difference  between  right  to  life  and  life 
rights?  I  182. 

What  Scriptural  proof  is  there  that  all  were  born  im- 
perfect? ^  183. 

Without  divine  provision  for  the  redemption  of  man, 
would  the  earth  become  depopulated?  and  if  so,  why?  ^  1S4. 

Is  mankind  wholly  dependent  upon  God's  provision  for 
life?  II  184. 

If  God  has  made  full  and  complete  provision  that  man 
shall  live  in  happiness,  what  effect  should  that  have  upon 
men's  minds  and  hearts?  ^  184. 

At  the  time  God  sentenced  man  to  death  did  he  fore- 
shadow a  provision  for  his  release?  and  if  so,  how?  Give 
the  Scriptural  proof.  ^  185. 

Did  he  here  foreshadow  the  ultimate  fate  of  Satan?  and 
if  so,  what  is  that  fate?  If  185. 

Could  the  judgment  Jehovah  entered  against  Adam  be 
annulled  or  set  aside?  and  if  not,  why  not?  ^  18G. 

If  it  could  be  changed,  what  effect  would  it  have  upon 
the  faith  of  men?  ^  186. 

Could  God  consistently  provide  for  a  substitute  to  meet 
the  terms  of  that  judgment?  ^  186. 

Is  it  Jehovah's  desire  that  men  should  understand  the 
necessity  and  reason  for  redemption?  ^  187. 

Why  did  God  cause  certain  types  and  pictures  to  be  made 
by  his  people?  H  187. 

Explain  about  the  passover  lamb  slain  by  the  Israelites 
on  the  night  of  their  leaving  Egypt.  Give  the  Scriptural 
account.  If  188. 

What  was  pictured  there  by  the  firstborn?  ^  188. 

What  was  pictured  by  the  lamb,  and  also  by  the  blood? 
?  188. 

Who  was  spoken  of  as  the  "Lamb  slain  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world"?  ^  188. 

What  was  pictured  by  the  deliverance  of  Israel  from  the 
Egyptians?  H  190. 


The  Ransom 


145 


What  arrangement  did  God  make  with  Israel  at  Mount 
Sinai?  If  191. 

What  was  typified  by  the  inauguration  of  the  law  cove- 
nant at  Mount  Sinai?  ^  191. 

Who  erected  the  tabernacle  in  the  wilderness?  ^  192. 

The  services  performed  by  the  priest  on  the  atonement 
day  in  connection  with  the  tabernacle  foreshadowed  what? 
?  192. 

Give  a  description  of  tlie  construction  of  the  tabernacle. 
1[  193. 

Describe  what  the  high  priest  did  with  the  bullock  on 
the  day  of  atonement.  ^  194. 

What  did  he  do  with  its  blood?  ^  194. 

What  did  these  ceremonies  foreshadow?  If  194. 

How  often  were  these  services  performed?  If  195. 

Why,  then,  was  the  law  covenant  made?  If  195. 

What  was  the  purpose  of  having  the  Israelites  to  go 
through  these  ceremonies  once  each  year?  If  195. 

What  did  tlie  law  demand  relative  to  Adam?  and  how 
was  justice  satisfied?  If  196. 

The  fact  that  Adam's  children  were  bom  after  he  was 
sentenced  to  death,  what  effect  did  that  have  upon  the 
children?  If  196. 

Why  did  God  permit  the  sentence  upon  Adam  to  have 
a  vital  effect  upon  all  of  Adam's  children?  If  197. 

Did  Jehovah  promise  to  ransom  man?  and  if  so,  give  the 
Scriptural  proof.  ^  197. 

Must  this  promise  be  carried  out?  ^f  197. 

Define  ransom.  If  198. 

Define  sin-offering.  If  199. 

Where  and  how  was  the  ransom  price  provided?  If  199. 

Where  was  the  sin-offering  begun?  and  where  is  it 
finished?  If  199. 

By  what  propliecy  did  God  show  that  it  was  his  purpose 
to  redeem  man  by  his  beloved  Son  suffering  death?  ^  201. 

In  what  sense  are  Adam  and  his  offspring  held  in  re- 
straint? Give  the  Scriptural  proof.  If  202. 

What  was  the  first  qualification  of  the  one  who  would 
provide  the  ransom  price?  If  203. 

Could  divine  justice  accept  anything  more  or  less  than 
the  value  of  a  perfect  human  life  as  a  ransom  for  Adam 
and  his  race?  If  204. 


146 


The  Harp  of  God 


Was  it  necessary  for  the  redeemer  to  be  a  perfect  humaa 
being?  and  if  so,  why?  %  204. 

In  what  way  did  the  law  given  to  Israel  indicate  that  a 
perfect  human  life  would  be  required  as  a  ransom  price? 
11  205. 

Give  an  illustration  under  the  law.  1[  205. 

Did  the  law  picture  what  should  constitute  the  qualifica- 
tion of  the  redeemer?  and  if  so,  where,  and  what,  is  it? 
?  205. 

How  is  man's  extremity  and  dependence  upon  Jehovah 
shown  in  connection  with  the  ransom  provision?  ^  206. 

Could  Adam  redeem  himself?  or  could  any  of  Adam's 
children  redeem  him  or  their  brethren?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  ^  206. 

Why  was  man's  condition  hopeless  without  a  redeemer? 
II  206. 

The  ransom  price  when  provided,  where  must  it  be  pre- 
sented? H  207. 

Could  any  human  being  present  the  value  of  that  ransom 
sacrifice  in  heaven?  ^  207. 

What  two  potent  reasons,  then,  are  there  which  make  it 
impossible  for  Adam's  children  to  redeem  their  brethren? 
7  208. 

Show  how  man's  future  happiness  wholly  depends  upon 
the  divine  provision  for  redemption.  1[  209. 

Does  man's  complete  extremity  enable  us  to  appreciate 
more  highly  the  value  of  the  ransom  sacrifice?  If  209. 

What  does  this  show  with  reference  to  the  debt  of  grati- 
tude man  owes  to  Jehovah?  ^  209. 

Give  an  illustration  of  man's  extremity;  and  what  would 
cause  him  to  feel  grateful  to  his  benefactor?  1[  210. 

If  we  find  the  proof  to  be  conclusive  that  Jehovah  has 
made  provision  for  the  redemption  and  deliverance  of  all 
mankind,  how  should  that  affect  the  mind  and  heart  of 
every  honest  person?  ^  210. 

Whom  did  God  send  into  the  earth  to  be  the  redeemer 
or  ransomer  of  mankind?  1[  211. 

What  did  Paul  say  about  this  to  the  Galatians?  Quote 
the  scriptui*e.  If  211. 

Y>'as  it  important  that  Jesus  should  be  qualified  to  meet 
the  requiremeuts  of  the  divine  law  in  order  to  ransom  the 
race?  %  211. 


The  Ransom 


147 


Since  ransom  means  exact  corresponding  price,  had  Jesus 
been  an  incarnated  spirit  being  would  he  have  been  quali- 
fied to  ransom  mankind?  1[  212. 

If  Jesus  had  been  part  man  and  part  God,  would  he  have 
been  qualified  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  divine  law? 
ir  212. 

What  does  the  divine  law  definitely  require  as  to  the 
qualification  of  the  redeemer  or  ransomer?  1[  212. 

How  did  God  send  his  Son?  and  when  he  came,  was  he 
a  man  or  was  he  God?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  1[  213. 

Had  any  perfect  man  lived  on  the  earth  from  Adam 
to  Jesus?  •![  213. 

Suppose  Jesus  had  been  greater  than  a  man  when  he 
consecrated  at  the  Jordan,  could  he  have  met  the  divine 
requirements  and  become  the  redeemer  of  mankind?  If  213. 

Did  Jesus  have  power  to  produce  a  perfect  race?  and  if 
so,  did  he  in  this  way  correspond  to  the  perfect  Adam  ?  •[[  214. 

State  what  occurred  before  Pilate.  Paraphrase  the  sub- 
stance of  Pilate's  statement  to  Jesus.  H  214. 

Under  the  Jewish  law,  what  must  be  the  age  of  a  man 
in  order  to  be  qualified  as  priest?  ^  214. 

What  was  the  age  of  Jesus  when  he  presented  himself 
to  John  for  baptism?  ^  215. 

Why  was  it  necessary  for  Jesus  to  wait  until  he  was 
thirty  years  of  age  to  begin  his  ministry?  ^  215. 

Wliat  was  the  difference  between  Jesus  and  prominent 
men  of  the  earth  with  reference  to  receiving  attention  from 
others?  216. 

Of  what  does  true  greatness  consist?  1[  216. 

Why  did  Jesus  say  he  came  to  the  earth?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  H  216. 

How  did  Jesus  become  the  servant  of  all?  ^  217. 

Why  was  it  a  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  Jehovah  to  send 
Jesus  to  earth  to  redeem  man?  If  217. 

What  prompted  God  to  make  this  sacrifice  for  man  ?  ^  217. 

Why  did  the  Pharisees  and  doctors  of  the  law  misrepre- 
sent and  persecute  Jesus?  %  218. 

Why  was  Satan  so  anxious  to  destroy  Jesus?  ^  219. 

Why  did  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  occupy  a  responsible 
position  toward  the  Jewish  people?  If  219. 

What  were  some  of  the  crimes  Jesus  properly  charged 


148 


The  Harp  of  God 


against  the  Pharisees?  and  why  did  he  so  charge  them? 
If  219. 

Did  Jesus  know  that  he  was  to  be  enieified?  and  how  did 
he  spend  his  last  night  with  the  disciples?  1[  220. 

What  were  his  enemies  doing  at  the  same  hour?  ^  220. 

What  is  meant  by  the  Sanhedrin?  and  who  composed  it? 
IF  220. 

What  was  the  duty  of  this  high  court  toward  the  people, 
including  Jesus?  %  220. 

When  this  court  secretly  met,  state  what  was  said  by 
it  concerning  Jesus.  H  221. 

Who  were  the  parties  to  the  conspiracy  to  destroy  Jesus? 
and  whose  was  the  master  mind  directing  them?  1[  222. 

How  was  Judas  brought  into  the  conspiracy?  and  under 
what  consideration?  1[  222. 

Who  was  sent  out  to  arrest  the  Master?  1[  222. 

Did  the  court  have  any  right  to  try  him  at  night?  If  222. 

Did  it  have  a  right  to  cause  him  to  testify  against  him- 
self? IF  223. 

Was  there  any  evidence  against  him?  IF  223. 

What  crime  did  the  Sanhedrin  commit  in  getting  witness- 
es against  Jesus?  ^  223. 

Did  that  court  violate  the  Jewish  law  in  voting  for  his 
conviction?  IF  223. 

Why  did  the  court  reconvene  the  morning  following  to 
ratify  the  sentence?  and  was  this  proper?  IF  223. 

Why  did  not  the  Jews  put  Jesus  to  death  and  not  take 
him  before  Pilate?  IF  224. 

Why  did  Pilate  wish  to  release  Jesus?  IF  225. 

When  Pilate  attempted  to  release  Jesus,  what  did  the 
accusers  do?  IF  225. 

Who  were  the  responsible  men  that  incited  the  mob  to 
cry  against  the  Master?  TF  225. 

To  what  did  the  civil  power  yield  in  sentencing  Jesus 
to  death?  IF  225. 

Which  was  more  reprehensible,  the  civil  or  the  ecclesi- 
astical power,  in  this  case?  IF  225. 

Who  were  put  to  death  with  Jesus?  IF  226. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  world,  did  Jesus  die  as  a  righteous 
man?  IF  226. 

In  the  death  of  Jesus  upon  the  cross,  what  particular 
propliecy  was  fulfilled?  ^  227. 


The  Ransom 


149 


Why  must  Jesus  die?  H  228. 

V/hat  was  God's  will  concerning  Jesus  Vv'itli  reference  to 
his  becoming  a  man  and  being  put  to  death?  ^  229. 

What  did  Jesus  mean  by  saying  that  he  was  the  bread 
which  came  down  from  heaven,  and  those  eating  that  bread 
should  live?  H  230. 

Did  Jesus  die  only  for  those  who  become  members  of 
some  church  denomination?  or  for  whom  did  he  die?  ^  230. 

Define  sin;  and  what  is  the  penalty  for  sin?  1[  231. 

How  was  the  life  of  Jesus  made  an  offering  for  sin,  or 
a  sin-oifering?  H  231. 

AYould  it  have  been  possible  for  any  of  the  human  race 
to  get  life  everlasting,  except  for  the  ransom  sacrifice?  ^  232. 

The  pictures  made  in  the  Old  Testament  are  of  what 
value  to  us  in  studying  the  New?  and  what  did  the  bullock 
slain  on  the  atonement  day  picture  relative  to  Jesus?  ^  233. 

What  did  the  court  surrounding  the  tabernacle  picture 
or  tjTify?  If  233. 

What  was  foreshadowed  by  the  slaying  of  the  bullock  in 
the  court?  H  233. 

How  was  the  ransom  price  provided?  If  233. 

What  pictured  the  beginning  of  the  sin-offering?  If  234. 

What  was  done  with  the  blood  of  the  bullock  after  it 
was  slain?  If  2.34. 

What  was  pictured  by  the  high  priest  in  the  Holy?  and 
what  by  his  entering  the  Most  Holy?  If  234. 

For  whom  did  Jesus  give  himself  as  a  sin-offering?  ^  235. 

What  was  the  purpose  of  the  giving  of  the  law  covenant? 
and  could  it  operate  to  deliver  man  from  death?  If  23G. 

Was  the  shedding  of  Jesus'  blood  necessary  for  the  re- 
mission of  sin?  ^  237. 

How  was  the  entrance  of  Jesus  into  heaven  foreshadowed 
in  the  tabernacle  service?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  237. 

What  is  the  distinction  between  the  death  of  Adam  and 
the  death  of  Jesus?  ^  238. 

By  dying  as  a  man,  what  did  Jesus  provide  for  man's 
benefit?  If  238. 

Give  an  Illustration  showing  how  Jesus'  death  provided 
the  price  for  the  release  of  the  human  race  from  bondage. 
^  239-241. 

Could  the  perfect  man  Jesus  deliver  the  human  race  from 
death  and  remain  alive  as  a  man?  ^  242. 


150 


The  Harp  of  God 


WliJit  must  .Tosus  do  in  order  to  redeem  mankind?  If  242. 
What  did  he  produce  upon  Calvary?  1  212. 
Where  must  the  value  of  that  ransom  price  be  presented? 
II  242. 

Why  is  it  necessary  for  man  to  be  brought  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  after  the  paying  of  the  ransom  price? 
K  243. 

Who  shall  have  the  knowledge  of  this  truth?  Give  Scrip- 
tural proof.  H  243. 

What  is  the  great  pivotal  tnith  of  the  divine  plan?  H  243. 

When  the  human  race  comes  to  a  knowledge  of  the  value 
of  the  ransom  sacrifice,  wl)at  effect  will  it  have  upon  the 
ones  who  appreciate  it?  If  243. 


CHAPTER  VII 


String  6:  Resurrection 

NISAN  was  the  beginning  of  montlis  in  the  Jewish 
year ;  and  the  fourteenth  day  of  Nisan,  33  A.  D., 
found  Jesus  of  Nazareth  dead  and  in  the  tomb.  The 
hopes  of  his  followers  were  dashed  to  the  ground. 
Looking  back  to  the  promises  made  by  Jehovah  to 
faithful  Abraham,  his  disciples  and  other  associates 
had  believed  Jesus  to  be  the  promised  Messiah  and 
trusted  that  he  would  be  the  deliverer  of  Israel  from 
Roman  bondage  and  would  also  be  the  instrument  for 
the  blessing,  through  Israel,  of  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  But  now  he  who  they  had  hoped  would  redeem 
Israel  (Luke  24:  21)  was  dead.  They  were  perplexed 
and  overwhelmed.  Seemingly  they  did  not  expect  him 
to  rise  again  from  the  dead,  nor  did  they  know  at 
that  time  that  Jehovah  would  not  suffer  the  flesh  of 
his  Holy  One  to  corrupt.  The  conduct  of  the  disciples 
at  this  time,  as  well  as  of  those  who  were  in  full  s^Tn- 
pathy  with  them,  shows  that  they  did  not  expect  his 
resurrection.  The  body  was  carefully  wrapped  and 
placed  in  the  tomb  with  myrrh,  aloes,  and  spices, 
evidently  to  prevent  decomposition.  The  subsecjuent 
great  sorrow  of  the  women  at  the  tom.b  and  their  be- 
lief that  the  body  of  Jesus  had  been  wrongfully  re- 
moved and  liid  elsewhere,  also  the  perplexity  of  the 
disciples,  all  tends  to  show  that  they  did  not  have 
any  hope  or  expectation  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus. 
Then  we  have  the  positive  statement:  ''For  as  yet 

153 


■ 


154  The  Harp  of  God 

they  knew  not  the  scripture,  that  he  must  rise  again 
from  the  dead."— John  20:  9. 

The  disciples  were  Jews  and  it  might  be  sup- 
posed that  they  were  somewhat  acquainted  with  the 
Scriptures.  We  remember,  however,  that  they  were 
not  learned  men ;  and  even  if  they  had  been  acquaint- 
ed mth  the  text  of  the  Scriptures  they  could  not 
have  had  a  very  clear  imderstanding  of  them  at  that 
time;  just  as  we  now  see  there  are  many  wonderful 
truths  in  the  Bible  which  have  been  there  for  cen- 
turies and  which  Christians  never  understood  until 
recently.  Now  as  we  look  at  the  inspired  Word  of 
God  we  can  see  some  texts  in  the  Old  Testament 
which  clearly  refer  to  the  resuiTection  of  Jesus,  and 
which  texts  must  have  been  familiar  to  many  Jews 
at  the  time  Jesus  was  crucified.  For  information  we 
note  some  of  these  texts  here. 

2*'^  The  Prophet  Job  pointed  to  the  time  of  redemp- 
tion and  deliverance  when  he  said:  *^For  I  Imow 
that  my  redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at 
the  latter  day  upon  the  earth.'*  (Job  19:25)  If  the 
Redeemer  was  to  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the 
earth,  then  he  must  be  raised  from  the  dead  after  he 
had  provided  the  redemptive  price  by  his  death ;  hence 
this  scripture  must  foreshadow  his  resurrection.  The 
Psalmist  Da^^dd  wrote  prophetically  concerning  Jesus' 
resurrection  when  he  said:  '*For  thou  wilt  not  leave 
my  soul  in  hell;  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine  Holy 
One  to  see  corruption.  Thou  wilt  shew  me  the  path 
of  life :  in  thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy ;  at  thy  right 
hand  are  pleasures  for  evermore."  (Psalm  16: 10, 11) 
We  have  the  inspired  testimony  of  the  apostle  that 
the  prophet  did  there  refer  to  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus.— Acts  2 :  27-31 ;  13 :  35-37. 


Resurrection 


155 


Again  the  Prophet  David  wrote  concerning  Je- 
sus, the  Savior  of  the  world:  **As  for  me,  I  will  be- 
hold thy  face  in  righteousness:  I  shall  be  satisfied, 
when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness."  (Psalm  17:15) 
The  awakening  clearly  means  the  awakening  out  of 
death.  Jesus  was  awakened  out  of  death  in  the  ex- 
press image  of  the  Father.  (Hebrews  1:2)  Again 
the  psalmist  wrote:  ''Thou  hast  ascended  on  high, 
thou  hast  led  captivity  captive:  thou  hast  received 
gifts  for  men."  (Psalm  68:18)  Clearly  the  Apostle 
Paul  refers  to  this  same  scripture  in  Ephesians  4 :  8, 
showing  that  the  psalmist  referred  to  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus. 

The  Prophet  Isaiali  wrote :  ' '  For  unto  us  a  child 
is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given,  and  the  government 
shall  be  upon  his  shoulder;  and  his  name  shall  be 
called  Wonderful  Counsellor,  The  mighty  God,  The 
everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  in- 
crease of  his  government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no 
end,  upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  upon  his  king- 
dom, to  order  it,  and  to  establish  it  with  judgment 
and  with  justice,  from  henceforth  even  for  ever." 
(Isaiah  9:6,7)  Here  it  is  clearly  stated  that  the 
One  who  would  hold  this  exalted  position,  the  Mes- 
siah, is  to  be  the  everlasting  Father.  Father  means 
life-giver,  and  it  would  be  impossible  for  Jesus  to  be 
the  great  Life-giver  to  man  unless  he  was  raised  from 
the  dead. 

Again  the  Prophet  Isaiah  described  the  suffer- 
ings of  Jesus  and  his  death  and  subsequent  resurrec- 
tion when  he  wrote:  "The  Lord  hath  laid  on  him 
the  iniquity  of  us  all.  .  .  .  He  is  brought  as  a  lamb 
to  the  slaughter.  .  .  .  He  was  taken  from  prison  and 
from  Judgment:  ...  he  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land 
of  the  living :  for  the  transgression  of  my  people  was 


156 


The  Harp  of  God 


he  stricken.  And  he  made  his  grave  with  the  wicked, 
and  with  the  rich  in  his  death ;  .  .  .  when  thou  shalt 
make  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall  see  his 
seed.  .  .  .  He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and 
shall  be  satisfied :  by  his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous 
sen^ant  justify  many.'*  (Isaiah  53:6-11)  He  could 
not  have  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death  and  after- 
ward see  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be  satisfied  unless 
he  should  be  raised  from  the  dead. 

251  Tiiese  scriptures  clearly  foretell  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus.  Besides  this,  Jesus  had  told  his  disciples 
while  in  Galilee  that  he  would  be  put  to  death  and 
rise  from  the  dead.  (Luke  24:  6,  7)  ''And  while  they 
abode  in  Galilee,  Jesus  said  unto  them,  The  Son  of 
man  shall  be  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  men;  and 
they  shall  kill  him,  and  the  third  day  he  shall  be 
raised  again.  And  they  were  exceeding  sorry."  (]\Iat- 
thew  17 :  22,  23)  But  it  may  not  be  expected  of  them 
that  they  should  understand  the  meaning  of  these 
Old  Testament  scriptures  as  referring  to  the  resur- 
rection of  the  Lord.  They  were  not  men  of  great 
learning.  They  were  poor  and  followed  humble  occu- 
pations. They  had  doubtless  not  had  the  advantage 
of  a  great  am.ount  of  education ;  but  a  stronger  reason 
is  that  the  holy  spirit  had  not  then  been  given  and 
their  minds  had  not  been  illuminated,  and  it  is  not 
to  be  expected  that  they  would  understand  then  the 
deep  things  of  God's  Word.  (1  Corinthians  2:14) 
Nor  is  it  at  all  surprising  that  they  had  forgotten 
some  of  the  sayings  of  Jesus  concerning  his  betrayal, 
his  death  and  resurrection.  We  must  remember  that 
they  loved  Jesus  very  devotedly;  and  uppermost  in 
their  minds  was  the  hope  that  he  would  be  the  de- 
liverer of  Israel.  Only  five  days  before  his  death  they 
had  joined  him  in  his  triumphant  entry  into  Jerusa- 


Resurrection 


157 


lem,  when  the  common  people  hailed  him  with  glad- 
ness and  joy.  (Matthew  21:1-11)  His  death  was  so 
very  sndden,  so  cruel,  the  shock  so  terrible,  that  the 
minds  of  these  faithful  disciples  and  others  who  loved 
him  dearly  were  stunned.  They  were  truly  over- 
whelmed with  sorrow  and  grief.  He  had  been  rudely 
snatched  from  them;  unjustly  tried,  brutally  con- 
demned, and  then  subjected  to  the  most  ignominious 
death  kno^vn  to  man,  the  death  of  the  cross. 

Clearly  in  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah 
above  noted,  Jesus  was  put  to  death  as  an  evil  one, 
thereby  making  his  grave  with  the  wicked;  and  he 
was  laid  in  the  sepulchre  of  a  rich  man  of  Arimathea, 
named  Joseph. — Matthew  27:  57. 

Little  is  said  as  to  the  doings  of  the  disciples 
and  their  associates  immediately  following  the  cruci- 
fixion of  Jesus  when  he  was  laid  away  in  the  tomb. 
The  good  v/omen  went  and  beheld  where  he  was 
laid".  No  doubt  little  else  was  done.  After  six  o'clock 
p.  m.  of  that  day  was  the  beginning  of  the  sabbath 
day,  and  under  the  law  the  Jews  must  rest;  hence 
we  are  not  to  expect  that  they  did  much  of  anything. 
Nor  could  it  have  been  a  day  of  much  rest  to  them. 
It  was  a  day  of  great  sorrow.  They  could  do  no  work 
to  divert  their  minds  from  the  terrible  shock  caused 
by  the  crucifixion  of  the  Lord.  The  rest  must  have 
been  one  merely  of  cessation  from  labor.  Surely  they 
had  little  rest  of  body  or  peace  of  mind.  For  them 
it  was  a  day  of  sorrowful  waiting,  because  tomorrow 
they  would  go  to  the  tomb.  The  sabbath  ended  at 
six  o'clock  p.  m.,  but  the  night  followed,  which  pre- 
vented them  from  visiting  the  tomb  then. 

The  morning  following  was  the  first  day  of  the 
week ;  and  early  that  morning,  before  it  became  very 
light,  Mary  Magdalene  and  other  good  vromen  who 


158 


The  Harp  of  God 


had  followed  Jesus  from  Galilee  and  had  ministered 
unto  him,  hastened  to  the  Savior's  tomb.  When  they 
reached  there  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto 
them,  saying:  *^Fear  not  ye:  for  I  know  that  ye  seek 
Jesus,  which  was  crucified.  He  is  not  here;  for  he  is 
risen,  as  he  said.  Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord 
lay.  And  go  quickly,  and  tell  his  diciples  that  he  is 
risen  from  the  dead ;  and,  behold,  he  goeth  before  you 
into  Galilee;  there  shall  ye  see  him:  lo,  I  have  told 
you.  And  they  departed  quickly  from  the  sepulchre, 
with  fear  and  great  joy,  and  did  run  to  bring  his 
disciples  word."  (Matthew  28:5-8)  This  news  to 
these  faithful  women  sounded  too  good  to  be  true. 
They  were  dazed  and  bewildered;  yet  with  joy  they 
hurried  away  to  deliver  the  message  to  others  who 
loved  the  Lord. 

Here  we  have  the  proof  that  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  is  one  of  the  strings  upon  the  harp  of  God, 
yielding  great  joy  to  those  who  hear  its  blessed  sound. 
The  first  human  being  who  heard  of  the  resurrection 
rejoiced.  How  much  more  joy  there  must  have  been 
in  heaven  at  that  hour ! 

256  ^gel  means  messenger ;  that  is,  one  who  is  sent 
on  a  mission  as  a  representative  or  deputy,  or  mes- 
senger of  God.  These  holy  messengers  or  angels  al- 
ways have  access  to  the  Father,  Jehovah.  (Matthew 
18: 10)  We  should  expect,  of  course,  that  these  holy 
ones  of  the  heavenly  host  would  sing  praise  and  give 
utterance  to  joy  before  the  Lord  at  every  progressive 
step  of  his  plan.  These  angels  inhabit  the  heavens, 
the  high  place.  And  so  the  psalmist  writes  of  them: 
''Praise  ye  the  Lord.  Praise  ye  the  Lord  from  the 
heavens:  praise  him  in  the  heights.  Praise  ye  him, 
all  his  angels:  praise  ye  him,  all  his  hosts.''  (Psalm 
148:1,2)    The  Bible  abounds  with  many  instances 


Resurrection 


159 


wherein  God  has  used  these  holy  angels  as  messengers. 
He  communicated  with  Abraham  by  his  angels  (Gen- 
esis 22: 15)  ;  also  with  Jacob.  (Genesis  31: 11)  God 
appeared  unto  Moses  by  liis  angel.  (Exodus  3:2)  He 
also  delivered  a  message  to  Elijah  by  his  angel.  (1 
Kings  19:  5)  These  holy  messengers  of  God  guarded 
the  interests  of  Jesus  at  all  times,  from  the  moment 
he  left  the  heavenly  courts  to  become  the  man  Jesus 
for  the  purpose  of  redeeming  the  world  of  mankind. 
(Zechariah  3:1-7)  The  angel  of  the  Lord  announced 
to  Mary  that  she  was  to  be  the  mother  of  the  babe 
Jesus.  (Luke  1:31)  When  she  gave  birth  to  this 
wonderful  child,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  brought  the 
message  to  the  faithful  shepherds,  and  the  great  mul- 
titude of  the  heavenly  hosts  joined  together  with  that 
angel  in  praising  God. — Lulie  2 :  9-11. 

2"  We  may  be  sure  that  these  faithful,  holy  angels, 
as  God's  instruments,  were  carefully  watching  every 
step  of  Jesus  from  the  time  of  his  birth  up  to  the  m.o- 
ment  of  his  resurrection.  With  eagerness  they  would 
watch  and  wait  to  see  if  Jesus  fully  met  all  the  re- 
quirements of  God's  law.  They  evidently  knew  that 
his  full  compliance  would  meet  with  the  marvelous 
reward  of  a  resurrection  from  the  dead.  It  was  one 
of  these  faithful  messengers  that  the  Lord  sent  from 
lieaven  to  roll  back  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the 
tomb  at  the  resurrection  of  the  IMaster.  What  great 
joy  must  have  filled  the  heavenly  courts  now  when 
they  beheld  Jesus,  by  the  power  of  God,  triumphant 
over  death  and  the  grave ! 

Lucifer,  who  became  Satan,  who  had  once  been 
associated  with  the  holy  angels  and  who  had  seduced 
some  of  their  fellow  angels,  had  for  centuries  opposed 
Jehovah  and  specially  tried  to  destroy  Jesus.  Jesus 
had  been  sent  into  the  world  that  he  might  destroy 


160 


The  Harp  of  God 


the  works  of  Satan;  and  now,  having  been  raised 
from  the  dead,  he  would  ultimately  ''destroy  him 
that  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  the  devil, ' '  which 
destruction  would  guarantee  the  deliverance  of  the 
human  race.  (Hebrews  2: 14)  Now  Jesus  had  broken 
the  bonds  of  death,  being  raised  by  Jehovah  to  power 
and  glory,  demonstrating  the  fact  that  he  was  fully 
approved  by  Jehovah.  He  now  proved  that  he  was 
worthy  to  be  praised;  and  mthout  question  he  re- 
ceived the  unlimited  praise  of  all  the  heavenly  host. 
The  revelator  says:  ''And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the 
voice  of  many  angels  round  about  the  throne  and 
the  beasts  and  the  elders:  and  the  number  of  them 
was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands 
of  thousands ;  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and 
wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and 
blessing. ' ' — Revelation  5 : 11, 12. 

SCRIPTURAL  PROOF 

It  was  not  their  previous  knowledge  of  the 
Scriptures  and  their  faith  in  them  that  Christ  Jesus 
would  be  raised  from  the  dead  which  induced  the 
disciples  to  believe  that  he  was  raised,  but  it  was 
what  they  actually  saw  and  experienced  that  led  them 
to  tliis  conclusion.  The  knowledge  gained  by  experi- 
ence, coupled  with  the  knov/ledge  of  the  Scriptures 
subsequently  acquired  by  them,  not  only  established 
beyond  a  doubt  in  their  o^vn  minds  the  resurrection 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  it  emboldened  them  to  declare 
the  message  on  every  opportune  occasion  to  others 
and  to  emphasize  this  great  doctrine  of  truth  in  their 
epistles  to  the  church. 

It  will  profit  us  here  to  consider  the  Scriptural 
testimony  given  in  proof  that  Jesus  was  raised  from 


Resurrection 


161 


the  dead  three  days  after  his  crucifixion.  There  have 
always  been  some  that  denied  the  resurrection  and 
hence  it  is  always  well  to  fortify  ourselves  against 
such  denial,  as  well  as  to  strengthen  our  own  faith. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  the  writers  of  these  gos- 
pels were  not  learned  men ;  they  were  not  such  men  as 
would  arrange  a  fraudulent  scheme  to  deceive  any- 
body. There  would  be  no  occasion  for  them  to  do 
this.  The  fact  that  they  did  not  expect  a  resurrection 
and  gave  evidence  of  that  by  their  conduct  and  their 
speech  at  and  just  after  the  Lord's  death  is  strong 
circumstantial  evidence  that  their  testimony  subse- 
quently given  is  true.  Besides  this,  the  testimony  it- 
self bears  all  the  earmarks  of  truth. 

At  the  time  Jesus  died  there  was  an  earthquake. 
The  Rom.an  centurion  who  stood  by  exclaimed,  Truly 
this  was  the  Son  of  God!"  *'When  the  even  was  come, 
there  came  a  rich  man  of  Arimathea,  named  Joseph, 
who  also  himself  was  Jesus*  disciple:  he  went  to 
Pilate,  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  Then  Pilate 
commanded  the  body  to  be  delivered.  And  when 
Joseph  had  taken  the  bod}^  he  wrapped  it  in  a  clean 
linen  cloth,  and  laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb,  which 
he  had  hewn  out  in  the  rock:  and  he  rolled  a  great 
stone  to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre,  and  departed. 
And  there  v/as  Mary  Magdalene,  and  the  other  Mary, 
sitting  over  against  the  sepulchre." — Matt.  27:  57-61. 

2G2  rpi^Q  Pharisees  believed  in  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  basing  their  conclusion  upon  the  words  of  the 
prophets.  They  feared  that  Jesus  might  arise  from 
the  dead.  They  knew  they  were  guilty  of  having  him 
put  to  death  and  they  hoped  that  would  be  the  end 
of  him.  *'Now  the  next  day,  that  followed  the  day  of 
the  preparation,  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  came 
together  unto  Pilate,  saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that 


162 


The  Harp  of  God 


that  deceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet  alive,  After  three 
days  I  will  rise  again.  Command  therefore  that  the 
sepulchre  be  made  sure  until  the  third  day,  lest  his 
disciples  come  by  night,  and  steal  him  away,  and 
say  unto  the  people,  He  is  risen  from  the  dead ;  so 
the  last  error  shall  be  worse  than  the  first/'  (Mat- 
thew 27 :  62-64)  When  the  Roman  governor  heard 
their  request  he  granted  them  a  Roman  guard,  saying 
to  them:  ^'Ye  have  a  watch:  go  your  way,  make  it 
as  sure  as  ye  can.  So  they  went,  and  made  the  sepul- 
chre sure,  sealing  the  stone,  and  setting  a  watch." — 
Matthew  27  :  65,  66. 

263  »p]^g  Lord  Jehovah  must  have  held  these  Pliari- 
sees  in  derision,  who  presumed  by  having  the  stone 
sealed  and  a  Roman  guard  placed  at  the  entrance  that 
they  could  prevent  his  bringing  Jesus  out  of  the  tomb. 
God  could  have  easily  resurrected  the  Lord  without 
removing  the  stone.  He  chose,  however,  to  do  the 
latter.  And  in  addition  to  raising  up  Jesus  as  a  di- 
vine being,  he  also  removed  the  body  in  his  own  good 
way  and  to  his  own  good  place,  that  it  might  not 
see  corruption,  even  as  he  had  promised. — Psa.  16 : 10. 

264  rpjjjg  i^oman  guard  kept  a  close  vigil  over  the 
tomb  during  Friday  night,  Saturday  and  Saturday 
night;  and  early  Sunday  morning  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  appeared  and  rolled  back  the  stone.  The  keepers 
testified  that  the  countenance  of  the  angel  was  like 
lightning  and  his  raiment  as  white  as  snow,  and  these 
watchmen  did  shake  because  of  fear. 

The  sabbath  day  now  ended,  the  dawn  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week  being  here,  the  faithful  women 
were  the  first  ones  to  start  for  the  tomb.  "In  the  end 
of  the  sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  came  Mary  Magdalene,  and  the  other 
Mary,  to  see  the  sepulchre.  And,  behold,  there  was 


Resurrection 


163 


a  great  earthquake:  for  the  angel  of  the  Lord  de- 
scended from  heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  back  the 
stone  from  the  door,  and  sat  upon  it.  His  counte- 
nance was  like  lightning,  and  his  raiment  white  as 
snow :  and  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and 
became  as  dead  men.  And  the  angel  answered  and 
said  unto  the  women,  Fear  not  ye:  for  I  Imow  that 
ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was  crucified.  He  is  not  here; 
for  he  is  risen,  as  he  said.  Come,  see  the  place  where 
the  Lord  lay.  And  go  quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples 
that  he  is  risen  from  the  dead ;  and,  behold,  he  goeth 
before  you  into  Galilee;  there  shall  ye  see  him:  lo, 
I  have  told  you.  And  they  departed  quickly  from 
the  sepulchre,  with  fear  and  great  joy,  and  did 
run  to  bring  his  disciples  word.  And  as  they  went 
to  tell  his  disciples,  behold,  Jesus  met  them,  saying, 
All  hail.  And  they  came  and  held  him  by  the  feet, 
and  worshipped  him.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  Be 
not  afraid:  go  tell  my  brethren,  that  they  go  into 
Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me.'' — Matt.  28: 1-IQ. 

260  There  must  have  been  great  excitement  about 
that  time  among  some  of  the  people  of  Jerusalem. 
These  faithful  women  ran  to  tell  the  disciples,  while 
the  Roman  soldiers  hurried  into  the  city  to  notify 
their  employers  of  what  had  happened.  **Now  when 
they  were  going,  behold,  some  of  the  watch  came  into 
the  city,  and  shewed  unto  the  chief  priests  all  the 
things  that  were  done.  And  when  they  were  assem- 
bled with  the  elders,  and  had  taken  counsel,  they 
gave  large  money  unto  the  soldiers,  saying,  Say  ye. 
His  disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole  him  away  while 
we  slept.  And  if  this  come  to  the  governor's  ears, 
we  will  persuade  him,  and  secure  you.  So  they  took 
the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  taught:  and  this 


164 


The  Harp  of  God 


saying  is  commonly  reported  among  the  Jews  until 
this  day/'— Matthew  28:11-15. 

The  account  given  by  Luke  is  almost  identical 
with  that  given  by  Matthew.  Likewise  the  testimony 
given  by  Mark.  John  also  gives  an  accurate  account 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord.  We  insert  here  the 
testimony  of  each  of  these  witnesses  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  that  the  four  testified  substantially  to  the 
same  facts  and  fully  corroborated  each  other. 

268  when  the  sabbath  was  past,  Mary  Magda- 
lene, and  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and  Salome, 
had  bought  sweet  spices,  that  they  might  come  and 
anoint  him.  And  very  early  in  the  morning,  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  they  came  unto  the  sepulchre  at  the 
rising  of  tiie  sun.  And  they  said  among  themselves. 
Who  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of 
the  sepulchre?  And  when  they  looked,  they  saw  that 
the  stone  was  rolled  away :  for  it  was  very  groat.  And 
entering  into  the  sepulchre,  thoy  saw  a  young  man 
sitting  on  the  right  side,  clothed  in  a  long  white  gar- 
ment; and  they  were  affrighted.  And  he  saith  unto 
them.  Be  not  affrighted:  Ye  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
which  was  crucified:  he  is  risen;  he  is  not  here:  be- 
hold the  place  where  they  laid  him.  But  go  your  way, 
tell  his  disciples  and  Peter  that  he  goeth  before  you 
into  Galilee:  there  shall  ye  see  him,  as  he  said  unto 
you.''— Mark  16:1-7. 

269  '<isow  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  very  early 
in  the  morning,  they  came  unto  the  sepulchre,  bring- 
ing the  spices  which  they  had  prepared,  and  certain 
others  with  them.  And  they  found  the  stone  rolled 
away  from  the  sepulchre.  And  they  entered  in,  and 
found  not  the  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  as  they  were  much  perplexed  thereabout,  be- 
hold, two  men  stood  by  them  in  shining  garments: 


Resurrection 


165 


and  as  they  were  afraid,  and  bowed  down  their  faces 
to  the  earth,  they  said  unto  them.  Why  seek  ye  the 
living  among  the  dead  ?  He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen  : 
remember  how  he  spake  unto  you  when  he  was  yet 
in  Galilee,  saying,  The  Son  of  man  must  be  delivered 
into  the  hands  of  sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and 
the  third  day  rise  again.  And  they  remembered  his 
words,  and  returned  from  the  sepulchre,  and  told  all 
these  things  unto  the  eleven,  and  to  all  the  rest.  It 
was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Joanna,  and  Mary  the 
mother  of  James,  and  other  women  that  were  v/ith 
them,  which  told  these  things  unto  the  apostles." — 
Luke  24:1-10. 

270  <<The  first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary  Magda- 
lene early,  when  it  was  yet  dark,  unto  the  sepulchre, 
and  seeth  the  stone  taken  away  from  the  sepulchre. 
Then  she  runneth,  and  cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and 
to  the  other  disciple,  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  saith  unto 
them.  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sep- 
ulchre, and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him. 
Peter  therefore  went  forth,  and  that  other  disciple, 
and  came  to  the  sepulchre.  So  they  ran  both  together : 
and  the  other  disciple  did  outrun  Peter,  and  came 
first  to  the  sepulchre.  And  he,  stooping  do\^ni,  and 
looking  in,  saw  the  linen  clothes  lying;  yet  went  he 
not  in.  Then  cometh  Simon  Peter  following  him,  and 
went  into  the  sepulchre,  and  seeth  the  linen  clothes 
lie,  and  the  napkin,  that  was  about  his  head,  not 
lying  with  the  linen  clothes,  but  wrapped  together  in 
a  place  by  itself.  Then  went  in  also  that  other  dis- 
ciple, which  came  first  to  the  sepulchre,  and  he  saw, 
and  believed."— John  20: 1-8. 

Added  to  the  testimony  of  these  four  "vvitnesses 
is  that  of  Paul,  who  on  his  way  to  Damascus  had  a 
miraculous  vision  of  the  Lord.  Concerning  the  resur* 


166 


The  Harp  of  God 


rection  of  the  dead  the  apostle  later  testified:  "For  I 
deJivered  unto  you  first  of  all  that  which  I  also  re- 
ceived, how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according 
to  the  scriptures;  and  that  he  was  buried,  and  that 
he  rose  again  the  third  day  according  to  the  scrip- 
tures; and  that  he  v/as  seen  of  Cephas,  then  of  the 
twelve :  after  that,  he  was  seen  of  above  five  hundred 
brethren  at  once;  of  whom  the  greater  part  remain 
imto  this  present,  but  some  are  fallen  asleep.  After 
that,  he  was  seen  of  James;  then  of  all  the  apostles. 
And  last  of  all  he  was  seen  of  me  also,  as  of  one 
born  out  of  due  time." — 1  Corinthians  15:3-8. 

John,  subsequently  writing  concerning  the  Lord, 
emphasizes  the  fact  that  they  saw  with  their  own 
eyes,  saying:  **That  which  was  from  the  beginning, 
which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have  seen  with  our 
eyes,  which  we  have  looked  upon,  and  our  hands  have 
handled,  of  the  Word  of  life ;  (for  the  life  was  mani- 
fested, and  we  have  seen  it,  and  bear  witness,  and 
shew  unto  you  that  eternal  life,  which  was  with  the 
Father,  and  was  manifested  unto  us;)  that  which  we 
have  seen  and  heard  declare  we  unto  you,  that  ye 
also  may  have  fellowship  with  us :  and  truly  our  f el- 
lo^7ship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ.  And  these  tilings  write  we  unto  you,  that 
your  joy  may  be  full. ' ' — 1  John  1 : 1-4. 

£73  Thus  we  see  there  were  more  than  five  hundred 
witnesses  who  testified  to  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  This  alone  should  establish  the  fact  beyond 
any  question  of  a  doubt ;  but  when  we  see  the  reason 
for  the  Lord's  resurrection,  the  whole  matter  not  only 
becomes  clear  but  brings  great  joy  to  the  heart  of  one 
wl^o  does  see  it.  We  must  furthermore  consider  that 
these  faithful  witnesses  of  the  Lord  did  not  go  to 
soiiie  isolated  place  to  give  their  testimony  concern- 


Resurrection 


167 


ing  his  resurrection,  but  they  gave  it  openly  before 
the  tribunals,  before  Jews  and  heathen  philosophers, 
courtiers,  lawyers,  as  well  as  the  common  people. 
They  did  not  wait  until  years  afterward  to  begin  to 
give  their  testimony  concerning  his  resurrection,  but 
did  so  immediately  after  the  great  event  took  place. 
They  were  so  bold  in  declaring  it  that  had  there  been 
a  possibility  of  refuting  their  testimony  we  may  be 
sure  that  the  Pharisees  would  have  attempted  it. 
They  did  not  give  this  testimony  for  the  purpose  of 
gaining  fame,  glory,  or  riches.  But,  on  the  contrary, 
they  knew  that  they  would  bring  upon  themselves 
the  indignation  of  the  Pharisees  and  rulers  and  would 
expose  themselves  to  suffering  and  death. 

^"^^  At  Pentecost,  only  fifty  days  after  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  Lord,  the  Apostle  Peter  stood  forth  before 
the  multitude  and  proclaimed  to  the  men  of  Judea 
and  all  that  dwelt  in  Jerusalem  concerning  the  resur- 
rection of  the  Lord.  In  his  eloquence  he  exclaimed: 
**  Therefore  let  all  the  house  of  Israel  know  assuredly, 
that  God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus,  whom  ye  have 
crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ.''  (Acts  2:36)  So 
persuasive  and  convincing  was  the  apostle's  argu- 
ment that  the  Jews  who  had  participated  in  having 
the  Lord  put  to  death  ''were  pricked  in  their  heart, 
and  said  unto  Peter  and  to  the  rest  of  the  apostles, 
Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?  "  Some  of  them 
suffered  death  and  martyrdom  because  they  preached 
Christ  and  his  resurrection.  (Acts  7:59)  The  apos- 
tles and  early  Christians  received  much  persecution 
because  they  testified  boldly  that  Jesus  was  raised 
from  the  dead.  They  would  not  have  done  this  had 
they  been  trying  to  carry  out  some  fraudulent  im- 
position. Their  motive  in  preaching  these  doctrines 
was  to  be  witnesses  for  the  Lord  concerning  the  f ut 


168 


The  Harp  of  God 


filment  of  his  great  plan  for  the  redemption  and  de- 
liverance of  mankind. 

CHRIST  THE  LORD  DIVINE 

^'■^  Jesns  was  put  to  death  in  the  flesh  and  was 
resurrected  a  divine  h^ing.  (1  Peter  3: 18)  *God  had 
promised  to  grant  unto  him  the  di\dne  nature,  giving 
him  the  power  and  authority  to  have  inherent  life. 
Only  divine  beings  have  life  v^dthin  themselves  and 
need  nothing  to  sustain  life.  Jesus  said :  ' '  For  as  the 
Father  hath  life  in  himself ;  so  hath  he  given  to  the 
Son  to  have  life  in  himself.^'  (Jolin  5:  26)  AYhen  on 
earth  he  was  a  man.  AYhen  he  was  raised  from  the 
dead  he  v/as  the  express  image  of  Jehovah  God. 
*'V7ho  being  the  briglitness  of  his  [Jehovah's]  glory, 
and  the  express  image  of  his  person,  and  upholding 
all  things  by  the  word  of  his  pov/er,  when  he  had  by 
himself  purged  our  sins,  sat  do\vn  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  i.Iajesty  on  high;  being  made  so  much  better 
than  the  angels,  as  he  hath  by  inheritance,  obtained 
a  more  excellent  name  than  they."  (Ilebrev/s  1:  3,  4) 
He  v/as  begotten  to  the  divine  nature  at  the  time  of 
his  baptism  in  the  Jordan.  He  was  born  on  the  di- 
vine plane  to  the  divine  nature  at  liis  resurrection. 
When  he  was  raised  from  the  dead  he  was  both  Lord 
and  Christ.  (Acts  2:  36)  Lord  means  one  who  owns; 
one  who  has  power  and  authority,  and  one  whom  his 
followers  acknowledge  as  Master  and  Lord.  Christ 
means  the  anointed  one,  the  one  appointed  by  Jeho- 
vah to  carry  out  his  great  plan.  So  now  being  raised 
from  the  dead  he  is  both  owner  of  all  things  and  en- 
dowed with  power  and  authority  to  carry  out  Jeho- 
vah's plan.  The  name  Jesus  means  Savior  of  the  peo- 
ple. That  was  his  earthly  name.  It  is  more  partic- 
jilarly  associated  with  him  as  the  sin-bearer,  or  one 


Resurrection 


169 


who  made  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,  who  suffered 
for  us  and  who  bore  our  sins,  the  one  whom  the 
prophet  describes  as  ''the  man  of  sorrows". 

^^^When  he  arose  from  the  dead  Jehovah  highly- 
exalted  him  and  gave  him  a  name  above  all  other 
names.  He  was  once  a  man  of  sorrows,  acquainted 
with  grief.  Now,  resurrected  from  the  dead,  he  is  the 
exalted  one;  hence  the  apostle  declares: ''Being found 
in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  became 
obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 
"Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and 
given  him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name:  that 
at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  Imee  should  bow,  of  things 
in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the 
earth;  and  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Je- 
sus Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father. 
— Philippians  2 :  8-11. 

God  has  decreed  that  since  the  earth  was  the 
scene  of  Jesus'  sutiering  it  shall  be  the  scene  of  his 
glory,  and  all  creatures  shall  bow  at  the  name  of 
Jesus,  and  that  every  creature  shall  confess  that  Je- 
sus is  Christ  and  is  the  Lord. 

On  the  day  Jesus  was  raised  from  the  dead  and  on 
several  occasions  thereafter  he  appeared  unto  his  dis- 
ciples and  others  who  specially  loved  him.  He  did  not 
appear  to  them  in  the  same  body  which  was  crucified ; 
nor  with  the  same  clothing  in  which  he  was  buried. 
The  Scriptural  account  is  that  the  clothing  and  a 
napkin  were  folded  up  and  laid  aside  in  the  tomb. 
Had  he  appeared  in  the  same  body  that  was  crucified, 
those  who  were  with  him  for  three  and  a  half  years 
would  have  readily  recognized  him,  Surely  Mary- 
would  have  known  him.  He  appeared  to  her  as  a 
gardener  on  one  occasion,  and  only  when  he  spoke 
her  name  in  the  tone  so  familiar  to  her  did  she  recog- 


170 


The  Harp  of  God 


nize  him.  The  Scriptural  account  of  his  appearing  to 
the  disciples  and  other  witnesses  is  briefly  noted  as 
follows : 

He  appeared  on  Sunday  morning,  early  in  the 
day  of  his  resurrection,  to  Mary  Magdalene  near  the 
sepulchre  at  Jerusalem. — John  20:11-18. 

On  the  same  Sunday  morning,  to  the  women  re- 
turning from  the  sepulchre. — Matthew  28 :  9, 10. 

On  the  same  Sunday  morning  to  Simon  Peter 
alone  near  Jerusalem. — Luke  24:  34. 

On  the  same  day  to  two  disciples  going  to  Em- 
maus,  between  Jerusalem  and  Emmaus. — Luke 
24:13-21. 

On  the  same  Sunday  evening  to  the  apostles  (ex- 
cept Thomas)  at  Jerusalem. — John  20:19-25. 

Thereafter  he  appeared  again  one  week  later 
(Sunday  evening)  to  the  apostles,  Thomas  this  time 
being  present,  at  Jerusalem. — John  20:26-29. 

Some  days  thereafter  he  appeared  on  the  shores 
of  Galilee  to  seven  of  his  disciples  who  had  gone  back 
to  fishing.— John  21 : 1-13. 

A  little  later  he  appeared  to  the  eleven  disciples 
on  a  mountain  near  Galilee. — Matthew  28 : 16-20. 

A  short  time  thereafter  he  again  appeared  to  a 
company  of  more  than  five  hundred  of  his  followers, 
gathered  by  appointment,  in  Galilee. — 1  Cor.  15 :  6. 

He  again  appeared  to  the  Apostle  James  only. — 
1  Corinthians  15 :  7. 

Then  he  appeared  for  the  last  time  on  the  side 
of  the  Mount  of  Olives  to  his  disciples  at  the  time  of 
his  ascension. — ^Luke  24 :  50,  51 ;  Acts  1 :  6-9. 

The  question  will  arise  in  the  minds  of  many, 
Did  he  appear  in  a  spirit  body  or  a  human  body,  and 
how  did  he  get  the  body  if  it  was  not  the  one  in  which 


Resurrection 


171 


he  was  crucified?  We  may  be  sure  that  he  was  not 
raised  from  the  dead  with  a  human  body,  because  on 
one  of  these  occasions  he  appeared  to  the  disciples 
when  tliey  were  in  a  room  with  the  doors  fastened. 
(John  20: 19-26)  The  only  answer  is  that  now,  as  a 
divine  being,  he  had  the  power  to  create  a  body  and 
clothing  and  appear  at  any  time  and  upon  any  occa- 
sion that  he  desired.  Mary  supposed  him  to  be  a 
gardener;  two  of  the  disciples  who  walked  with  him 
thought  he  was  a  stranger  in  the  community.  Again, 
none  of  the  disciples  recognized  him  by  his  body  on 
the  sea  of  Glalilee;  likewise  on  other  occasions  when 
he  appeared  unto  them.  On  all  these  occasions  he  was 
recognized  by  his  actions,  his  words,  and  the  familiar 
tone  of  his  voice.  It  was  hard  to  convince  Thomas, 
who  declared  he  must  have  some  more  proof;  there- 
fore the  Lord  created  a  body  having  in  it  the  marks 
of  the  nails  in  order  that  Thomas  might  be  convinced. 
And  when  he  was  convinced,  Jesus  said  to  him: 
Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  be- 
lieved: blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet 
have  believed.' Wohn  20 :  27-29. 

The  purpose  of  Jesus'  appearing  to  the  disciples 
was  that  the  fact  might  be  fully  established  that  he 
was  resurrected  and  alive.  He  had  the  power  to  create 
a  fleshly  body  and  appear  in  it  and  dissolve  it  at  any 
time;  and  without  doubt  when  he  appeared  to  his 
disciples  behind  locked  doors  he  created  the  body 
immediately  in  their  presence  and  dissolved  it  when 
he  disappeared.  To  prove  to  them  that  he  v/as  a  real 
body  of  flesh  and  bones  he  said  to  them :  * '  Handle  me, 
and  see ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye 
see  me  have."  (Luke  24:39)  This  was  not  a  spirit 
body,  but  a  body  of  flesh.  The  body  with  which  he 
ascended  on  high  and  which  he  has  in  heaven  is  a 


172 


The  Harp  of  God 


glorious  body  which  no  man  can  look  upon  and  live 
except  by  the  miraculous  power  of  Jehovah.  The 
Apostle  Paul  states:  ''Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God."  (1  Corinthians  15:50,51)  In 
addition  to  this,  Jolin  says:  *'It  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be:  but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall 
appear,  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as 
he  is.''— 1  John  3:2. 

Paul  was  given  a  miraculous  view  of  the  Lord 
in  glory.  As  he  was  journeying  to  Damascus  sud- 
denly there  shone  about  him  a  light  from  heaven. 
He  did  not  see  the  body  of  Jesus  but  only  the  light 
from  his  glorious  body.  He  heard  a  voice  saying  unto 
him:  am  Jesus,"  So  brilliant  was  this  light  that 
for  three  days  he  was  blind ;  and  the  Lord  performed 
a  miracle  by  removing  his  blindness.  ''And  immedi- 
ately there  fell  from  his  eyes  as  it  had  been  scales; 
and  he  received  sight  forthwith,  and  arose,  and  was 
baptized."  (Acts  9:1-19)  The  Apostle  Paul  after- 
ward  relating  this  incident  said :  ' '  And  last  of  all  he 
[Jesus]  was  seen  of  me  also,  as  of  one  born  out  of 
due  time."  (1  Corinthians  15:8)  Here  we  have  a 
little  glimpse  of  what  the  glorious  body  of  the  Lord 
is.  These  facts  show  that  the  bodies  in  which  Jesus 
appeared  after  his  resurection  were  neither  the  body 
that  was  crucified  nor  his  glorious  spiritual  body,  but 
bodies  created  expressly  for  the  purpose  of  appearing 
unto  his  disciples.  Our  Lord's  human  body,  the  one 
crucified,  was  removed  from  the  tomb  by  the  power  of 
God.  Had  it  remained  there  it  would  have  been  an 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  faith  of  his  disciples,  who 
were  not  yet  instructed  in  spiritual  things.  They  were 
not  thus  instructed  until  the  giving  of  the  holy  spirit 
at  Pentecost.  The  Scriptures  do  not  reveal  what  be- 
came of  that  body,  except  that  it  did  not  decay  or 


Resurrection 


173 


corrupt.  (Acts  2:27,31)  We  can  only  surmise  that 
the  Lord  may  have  preserved  it  somewhere  to  exhibit 
to  the  people  in  the  Millennial  age.  The  Scriptures 
tell  us  that  Grod  miraculously  hid  the  body  of  Moses 
(Deuteronomy  34 :  6 ;  Jude  9)  ;  and  Jehovah  could  just 
as  easily  have  preserved  and  hidden  away  the  body 
of  Jesus.  Jesus  being  resurrected  a  divine  being,  the 
express  image  of  the  Father,  we  are  sure  that  no  man 
could  look  upon  him  and  live.  (Exodus  33 :  20)  Christ 
Jesus  the  Lord  in  heaven  is  a  glorious  being,  the 
fairest  of  ten  thousand,  and  altogether  lovely,  and 
no  human  eye  has  ever  seen  him  since  glorified,  ex- 
cept the  vision  miraculously  given  to  Paul. 

The  purpose  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus when  understood  is  further  proof  that  he  was 
raised  divine.  As  we  have  seen,  the  ransom  must  be 
provided  by  a  perfect  human  being  going  into  death. 
This  ransom  price,  namely,  the  value  of  a  perfect  hu- 
man life,  must  be  presented  in  heaven  itself  as  a  sin- 
offering  on  behalf  of  mankind.  Unless  this  was  done, 
the  ransom  would  be  of  no  avail  and  there  would  be 
no  purchase  of  the  human  race  from  death  and  its 
results.  The  Apostle  Paul  plainly  states  that  Christ 
Jesus  has  entered  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear 
in  the  presence  of  God  for  us.  (Hebrews  9:24)  He 
is  now  a  great  high  priest  who  passed  into  the  heav- 
ens, becoming  the  liigh  priest  on  behalf  of  those  who 
come  to  God  through  him  during  the  Christian  era. 
(Hebrews  4:14-16)  On  the  tyipicaX  atonement  day, 
as  we  have  seen,  God  caused  Israel  through  the  priest- 
hood to  make  a  picture  of  the  sin-offering.  The  high 
priest  appearing  in  the  Most  Holy  and  sprinlding  the 
blood  upon  the  mercy  seat  was  a  type  of  Jesus  ap- 
pearing in  heaven  itself,  presenting  the  merit  of  his 
sacrifice  as  a  great  sin-offering.  This  would  have  been. 


174 


The  Harp  of  God 


impossible  had  not  Jesus  been  resurrected  a  divine 
being. 

Afterward  Jesns  Christ  gave  nnto  John  a  reve- 
lation by  his  angel,  which  is  recorded  as  the  book  of 
Revelation.  In  that  he  said :  ' '  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and 
was  dead;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore, 
Amen;  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death.*' 
(Revelation  1:18)  Hell  means  the  tomb,  the  grave, 
the  condition  of  death  into  which  the  whole  human 
race  has  been  going  for  so  many  centuries.  Death 
is  the  great  enemy  and  in  due  time  the  Lord  will 
abolish  or  destroy  both  death  and  the  grave,  as  we 
shall  see  later  on. 

As  each  person  comes  to  a  Imowledge  of  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  and  understands  and 
appreciates  the  purpose,  his  heart  is  made  glad.  Only 
those  who  are  enlightened  have  yet  appreciated  the 
the  fact  that  the  re>surrection  of  Jesus  is  one  of  the 
strings  on  God's  wonderful  harp.  In  due  time  these 
benefits  \vill  be  made  Imown  to  all,  and  all  shall  recog- 
nize this  wonderful  truth.  After  the  Lord  has  finished 
the  selection  of  the  members  of  his  body,  which  is 
called  the  church  (Colossians  1:18),  then  his  merit 
or  ransom  sacrifice  will  be  presented  on  behalf  of  the 
world  of  mankind  and  all  will  reap  the  benefits  of  liis 
resurrection.  The  foregoing  scriptures  conclusively 
establish  the  resurrection  of  Christ  Jesus  from  the 
dead. 

296  jj^  Paul's  day  there  were  some  who  denied  the 
resurrection,  even  as  it  has  been  ever  since.  To  meet 
their  argument  Paul  wrote:  *'Now  if  Christ  be 
preached  that  he  rose  from  the  dead,  how  say  some 
among  you  that  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the  dead  1 
But  if  there  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  then  is 
Christ  not  risen:  and  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is 


Resurrection 


175 


our  preaching  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain.  Yea, 
and  we  are  found  false  witnesses  of  God ;  because  we 
have  testified  of  God  that  he  raised  up  Christ :  whom 
he  raised  not  up,  if  so  be  that  the  dead  rise  not.  For 
if  the  dead  rise  not,  then  is  not  Christ  raised :  and  if 
Christ  be  not  raised,  your  faith  is  vain;  ye  are  yet 
in  your  sins.  Then  they  also  which  are  fallen  asleep 
in  Christ  are  perished.  If  in  this  life  only  we  have 
hope  in  Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable.  But 
now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the 
firstfruits  of  them  that  slept.  For  since  by  man  came 
death,  by  man  came  also  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 
For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all 
be  made  alive.  But  every  man  in  his  own  order; 
Christ  the  firstfruits;  afterward  they  that  are 
Christ's,  at  his  coming.  Then  cometh  the  end,  when 
he  shall  have  delivered  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even 
the  Father ;  when  he  shall  have  put  down  all  rule  and 
authority  and  power.  For  he  must  reign,  till  he  hath 
put  all  enemies  under  his  feet.  The  last  enemy  that 
shall  be  destroyed  is  death.''— 1  Cor.  15:12-26. 

Because  of  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  his  ascension  on  high,  all  men  are  guaran- 
teed one  full,  fair  opportunity  to  obtain  everlasting 
life.  God  has  made  this  provision  and  given  this 
guarantee,  as  Paul  states.  "Because  he  [God]  hath 
appointed  a  day,  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world 
in  righteousness,  by  that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained ; 
whereof  he  hath  given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that 
he  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead."  (Acts  17:31) 
We  are  now  just  coming  into  that  *^ appointed  day'S 
in  which  the  world  is  beginning  to  know  and  soon  will 
know  much  more  about  the  wonderful  benefits  re- 
sulting from  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord.  In  that 
great  day  the  Lord  shall  reign  in  glory  and  then  will 


The  Harp  of  God 


1)8  fulfilled  his  words:  ''Marvel  not  at  this:  for  the 
hour  Cometh,  in  which  all  that  are  in  the  tombs  shall 
hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth ;  they  that  have 
done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life;  and  they 
that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  judg- 
ment." (John  5:  28,  29,  R.  V.)  Of  this  we  shall  have 
more  to  say  when  we  discuss  the  ' '  restoration ' '  string 
of  God's  great  harp. 


"Wliat  is  the  first  month  of  the  Jewish  year?  H  245. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  tliat  month,  S3  A.  D.,  where 
was  Jesus?  %  245. 

What  had  liis  disciples  expected  liim  to  do?  II  245. 

What  was  their  condition  of  mind,  and  what  their  hopes, 
after  his  death?  ^  245. 

Wliat  was  tlie  expectation  of  the  disciples  with  reference 
to  his  resurrection?  ^  215. 

How  had  the  body  of  Jesus  been  prepared  for  burial?  and 
what  was  the  purpose?  H  245. 

Give  further  proof  with  reference  to  the  expectation  of 
the  disciples  concerning  Jesus'  resurrection.  1[  245. 

Did  the  disciples  at  that  time  understand  the  scriptures 
with  reference  to  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ?  ^  246. 

Is  the  student  now  able  to  understand  scriptures  in  the 
Old  Testament  relative  to  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  that 
have  been  heretofore  little  understood?  f  246. 

Give  some  texts  of  the  Old  Testament  bearing  upon  the 
resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  H  247. 

Did  the  psalmist  speak  of  Jesus  going  to  hell?  and  if  so, 
what  was  meant?  H  247. 

Give  the  apostle's  interpretation  of  this  statement.  If  247. 

"What  was  meant  by  the  statement  of  the  psalmist  in 
Psalm  17: 15?  ^  24S. 

In  whose  likeness  was  Jesus  awakened?  Give  the  Scrip- 
tural proof.  If  248. 

Did  David  in  Psalm  68:18  refer  to  Jesus'  resurrection? 
and  if  so,  why?  H  248. 

Quote  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  (9:6,  7)  con- 
cerning Jesus.  ^  249. 


Resurrection 


177 


Did  the  prophet  here  foreshadow  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ?  H  249. 

How  did  Jehovah  refer  to  Christ's  resurrection  in  the 
words  of  the  Propliet  Isaiah  (53:  6-11)  ?  H  250. 

Had  Jesus  told  his  disciples  that  he  expected  to  be  raised 
from  the  dead?  and  if  so,  wliere?  ^  251. 

Why  were  the  disciples  sorry,  as  stated  in  Matthew  17: 
22,  23?  V  251. 

Why  could  not  the  disciples  of  Jesus  understand  the  proph- 
ecies concerning  his  resurrection?  Quote  a  scripture  from 
the  New  Testament  in  support  of  this  answer.  ^  251. 

What  was  the  hope  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  the  dis- 
ciples? If  251. 

What  had  happened  just  five  days  before  Jesus'  death 
that  increased  such  hopes  in  the  minds  of  the  disciples? 
1[  251. 

What  would  be  the  probable  effect  upon  the  disciples  of 
the  sudden  death  of  the  Master?  1[  251. 

In  being  put  to  death  as  an  evil  one  and  buried  in  the 
sepulchre  of  a  rich  man,  what  prophecy  did  Jesus  fulfil? 
1[  252. 

On  what  day  was  Jesus  crucified?  and  what  was  the  day 
following?  II  253. 

What  were  Jews  expected  to  do  on  that  day  of  the  sab- 
bath? IT  253. 

When  did  the  sabbath  day  end?  1[  253. 

What  was  done  by  Mary  and  others  on  the  morning  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week  after  Jesus'  crucifixion?  ^  254. 

Who  appeared  unto  them  at  the  tomb?  and  what  did  the 
messenger  say?  ^  254. 

What  effect  did  this  message  from  the  angel  have  upon 
these  women?  and  what  did  they  do?  H  254. 

What  proof  have  we  here  that  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
is  one  of  the  strings  of  the  harp  of  God?  H  255. 

What  effect  was  produced  upon  the  first  human  being 
who  heard  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord?  H  255. 

How  must  this  news  have  been  received  in  heaven?  ^  255, 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "angel"?  ^  256. 

Do  these  angels  have  access  to  Jehovah?  Give  the  Scrip- 
tural proof.  H  256. 

Is  there  Scriptural  proof  that  these  holy  messengers  sing 
praises  in  heaven?  H  256. 


178 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  Scriptural  proof  have  we  that  God  uses  angels  for 
messengers?  Give  several  instances.  1[  256. 

Is  there  any  Scriptural  evidence  that  these  holy  angels 
guarded  the  interests  of  Jesus  while  here  on  earth?  ^  256. 

Cite  Scriptural  proof  as  to  what  else  the  angels  did  with 
reference  to  Jesus  the  babe.  1[  256. 

Is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  angels  watched  the 
progressive  steps  of  Jesus'  course  from  his  birth  to  his 
resurrection?  ^  257. 

INIiglit  we  expect  them  to  be  looking  for  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus  Christ?  T[  257. 

Who  was  sent  from  heaven  to  roll  back  the  stone  from 
Jesus'  tomb?  H  257. 

When  the  triumph  of  Jesus  over  death  and  the  grave  was 
marked,  what  effect  must  that  have  produced  in  heaven? 
Tl  257. 

W^ould  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  demonstrate  his  approval 
by  Jehovah?  H  258. 

Would  his  triumph  over  death  and  the  grave  be  reason 
for  his  praise  in  heaven?  IT  258. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  of  the  praise  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the 
heavenly  hosts  after  his  resurrection.  If  258. 

What  was  it  that  convinced  the  disciples  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ?  IF  259. 

Being  convinced  of  his  resurrection,  how  did  that  affect 
Jesus'  disciples  in  regard  to  proclaiming  the  truth?  If  259. 

Why  should  we  have  Scriptural  proof  of  the  resurrection 
of  Christ  Jesus?  If  260. 

Is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Jesus'  disciples  would 
concoct  a  scheme  indicating  his  resurrection,  contrary  to 
the  facts?  If  260. 

What  convulsion  of  nature  occurred  at  the  time  of  Jesus' 
death?  If  261. 

Give  the  Scriptural  proof  of  the  burial  of  Jesus'  body. 
%  261. 

Why  did  the  Pharisees  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead?  If  262. 

Did  the  Pharisees  specially  request  of  Pilate  a  special 
guard  to  be  placed  over  the  tomb  of  Jesus?  and  if  so,  why? 
Give  the  Scriptural  proof.  If  262. 

What  did  Pilate  reply  to  them?  %  262. 


Resurrection 


179 


Conld  God  have  resurrected  Jesus  Christ  without  remov- 
ing the  stone?  1[  263. 

How  would  this  indicate  the  derision  in  which  he  held 
the  Pharisees?  ^  263. 

Who  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  tomb?  H  264. 

What  did  the  Roman  guard  testify  concerning  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  one  who  rolled  away  the  stone?  ^  264. 

Who  first  appeared  at  the  tomb  on  the  morning  of  Christ's 
resurrection?  ^  265. 

Relate  what  took  place  there  between  Mary  Magdalene 
and  the  messenger  who  appeared  to  her ;  and  what  was 
the  message  delivered  to  her?  ^  265. 

What  other  wrong-ful  thing  did  the  priests  do  when  they 
heard  of  Jesus  Christ's  resurrection?  ^  266. 

Compare  the  testimony  given  by  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke, 
and  John ;  and  state  whether  there  is  any  real  difference. 
H  267-270. 

What  other  apostle's  testimony  is  added  to  that  of  the 
ones  just  quoted?  and  what  did  he  say  about  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus?  ^  271. 

What  further  testimony  did  John  subsequently  give  con- 
cerning Jesus  Christ's  resurrection?  ^  272. 

How  many  witnesses  testified  to  the  resurrection  of  our 
Lord  Jesus?  ^  273. 

Where  did  these  faithful  witnesses  give  their  testimony 
concerning  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord?  Tf  273. 

Did  they  endanger  themselves  by  giving  such  testimony? 
If  273. 

The  fact  that  they  gave  it  immediately  and  boldly,  what 
weight  does  that  add  to  its  truthfulness?  ^  274. 

What  was  their  motive  in  testifying  of  the  Lord's  resur- 
rection? If  274. 

Did  any  one  suffer  martyrdom  because  of  giving  testi- 
mony to  this  effect?  Give  the  Scriptural  proof.  If  274. 

To  what  nature  was  Jesus  Christ  resurrected?  ^  275. 

What  does  it  mean  to  have  inherent  life?  If  275. 

What  did  Jesus  say  about  the  Father  giving  him  this 
favor?  If  275. 

When  the  Lord  was  raised  from  the  dead,  was  he  made 
lower  or  higher  than  the  angels?  If  275. 

When  was  he  begotten^  and  when  bom,  to  the  divine 
nature?  If  275. 


ISO 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  is  the  meaning  of  the  terms  "Lord"  and  "Christ"? 
H  275. 

What  power  and  authority  has  the  Lord  possessed  since 
his  resurrection?  ^  275. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  name  "Jesus"?  H  275. 

State  what  the  Scriptures  say  of  his  exaltation  at  the 
resurrection.  ^  276. 

Has  God  decreed  how  the  creatures  of  earth  shall  ulti- 
mately honor  the  Lord  Jesus?  H  277. 

When  was  the  first  time  Jesus  appeared  to  his  disciples 
after  being  raised  from  the  dead?  ^  278. 

With  what  body  did  he  appear?  ^  278. 

Give  the  reasons  why  he  did  not  appear  in  the  body  that 
was  crucified.  ^  278. 

How  did  Mary  recognize  him?  T[  278. 

State  how  many  times  Jesus  appeared  prior  to  his  as- 
cension on  high,  giving  the  Scriptural  proof.  ^  279-289. 

Did  he  appear  in  a  spirit  or  a  human  body?  and  how  did 
he  get  the  body  in  which  he  appeared?  ^  290. 

How  could  he  appear  in  the  room  in  the  presence  of  the 
disciples  when  the  door  was  locked?  %  290. 

How  did  the  disciples  recognize  him  at  the  sea  of  Gali- 
lee and  other  places?  H  290. 

What  was  Jesus'  purpose  in  appearing  to  the  disciples? 
II  291. 

Describe  the  body  in  which  Jesus  appeared  behind  locked 
doors;  and  what  did  he  say  to  his  disciples  then?  ^  291. 

Could  the  body  in  which  Jesus  was  crucified  ascend  into 
heaven?  and  if  not,  why  not?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  H  291. 

Describe  his  appearance  to  Saul  on  the  way  to  Damascus. 
If  292. 

Did  Saul  see  the  body  of  Jesus  at  that  time?  H  292. 

What  effect  did  the  appearance  of  the  Lord  to  Paul  have 
upon  him?  H  292. 

What  did  Paul  later  say  about  Jesus'  appearing  unto 
him?  ^  292. 

What  does  the  appearance  of  the  Lord  to  Paul  prove 
with  reference  to  the  bodies  in  which  Jesus  appeared 
shortly  after  his  resurrection?  292. 

What  became  of  the  body  of  the  Lord  that  was  crucified? 
m  292. 

Christ  Jesus  in  glory  possesses  what  kind  of  body?  1  292. 


Resurrection 


181 


What  did  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  and  his  appearance 
in  heaven  have  to  do  with  the  ransom  and  sin-offering? 
If  2G3. 

AVere  his  resurrection  and  ascension  on  high  necessary  to 
complete  the  sin-offering?  T[  293. 

On  the  typical  atonement  day,  through  what  ceremonies 
did  the  high  priest  pass  in  connection  with  the  sin-offering? 
^  293. 

What  did  this  typify?  1[  293. 

In  the  Revelation  of  Jesus  to  John,  what  did  he  say 
about  being  the  one  who  was  once  dead?  and  what  power 
does  he  now  possess?  1[  294. 

Wliat  is  meant  by  the  terms  "hell"  and  "death"  as  used 
in  Revelation  1: 18?  H  294. 

Up  to  this  time  who  have  appreciated  the  value  of  Jesus' 
resurrection  as  a  part  of  the  divine  plan?  ^  295. 

Do  the  scriptures  herein  cited  prove  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  Jesus?  H  295. 

What  argument  did  Paul  produce  against  the  contention 
that  Christ  was  not  raised  from  the  dead?  H  296. 

What  does  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  guarantee  to 
mankind?  ^  297. 

Give  the  Scriptural  proof  of  such  guarantee.  If  297. 

Where  are  we  now  with  reference  to  tlie  'day  appointed'i 
as  referred  to  in  Acts  17:  31?  ^  297. 


182 


TM  Harp  of  God 


WHO  SHALL  ROLL  THE  STONE  AWAY? 

A  nameless  chill  pervaded  all  the  air, 

On  that  gray  morn,  long  centuries  ago, 

As  through  the  city's  narrow  streets  there  crept 

Two  women  on  their  way  to  Calvary. 

The  fragrant  odors  of  sweet  spices  told 

Of  their  sad  errand  to  the  tomb  of  him 

They  loved.  And  as  they  n eared  the  garden  where 

Their  blessed  Lord  was  laid,  a  sudden  fear 

Took  hold  upon  their  eager,  loving  hearts — 

(The  sepulchre  was  hewn  from  solid  rock, 

A  great  stone  had  been  rolled  before  the  door, 

And  sealed  with  Pilate's  royal  signature)  — 

They  felt  their  weakness,  and  In  anguish  cried, 

*'Oh,  who  shall  roll  for  us  the  stone  away?" 

But  faith  grew  bold,  they  urged  their  faltering  steps— 

When  lo!  they  found  an  angel  from  the  Lord 

Had  rolled  away  the  stone^  and  sat  thereon ! 


CHAPTER  VIII 


String  7:    Mystery  Revealed 

A MYSTERY  is  that  which  is  kept  a  profound 
secret.  It  is  something  unknown,  except  to  cer- 
tain ones,  being  kept  carefully  and  continuously  con- 
cealed from  all  others.  Jehovah  being  all  powerful 
can  hide  or  keep  secret  from  every  creature,  earthly 
or  heavenly,  any  part  or  all  of  his  great  plan  and  re- 
veal or  make  it  knoTO  at  such  time  as  might  please 
him.  One  feature  of  his  great  plan  he  did  keep  secret 
for  ages,  and  it  is  still  a  secret  to  all  except  a  few. 

209  When  Jesus  was  on  earth  he  taught  the  people 
in  parables  or  dark  sayings.  His  disciples  came  to 
him  and  asked:  ''AVhy  speakest  thou  unto  them  in 
parables?  He  ansvrered  and  said  unto  them.  Because 
it  is  given  unto  you  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  but  to  them  it  is  not  given. (Mat- 
thew 13: 10, 11)  It  will  be  observed  that  he  did  not 
say,  'You  now  know  the  mysteries  of  God' ;  but  that 
it  v/as  given  them  to  know  those  mysteries.  Not  even 
his  disciples  understood  him  in  many  things  v/hen 
they  were  with  him.  On  the  last  night  before  his 
crucifixion  he  was  instructing  them  in  various  things 
that  would  be  helpful  to  them  in  the  days  to  come. 
On  that  occasion  he  said:  ''When  he,  the  spirit  of 
truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth:  for 
he  sliall  not  speak  of  himself ;  but  whatsoever  he  shall 
hear,  that  shall  he  speak :  and  he  will  shev/  you  things 
to  come."  (John  16:13)  The  spirit  of  truth  here 
mentioned  is  the  holy  spirit,  the  spirit  of  God,  the 

185 


186 


The  Harp  of  God 


invisible  power  operating  upon  the  minds  of  those 
who  are  in  covenant  relationship  with  God.  Jesns 
here  used  the  masculine  pronoun  in  speaking  of  the 
holy  spirit. 

300  rjpj^g  i^Qjy  spirit  was  given  to  the  disciples  at 
Pentecost,  that  is  to  say,  fifty  days  after  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus.  **And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was 
fully  come,  they  were  all  with  one  accord  in  one  place. 
And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  heaven,  as 
of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all  the  house 
where  they  were  sitting.  And  there  appeared  unto 
them  cloven  tongues,  like  as  of  fire,  and  it  sat  upon 
each  of  them.  And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  holy 
spirit,  and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the 
spirit  gave  them  utterance.'*  (Acts  2:1-4)  The  King 
James  Version  of  our  Bibles  translates  the  word  here 
holy  ghost",  but  there  is  no  warrant  for  such  a 
translation.  It  comes  from  the  word  which  means 
spirit. 

It  was  at  Pentecost  that  for  the  first  time  God's 
great  mystery  began  to  be  understood  by  the  disci- 
ples. The  mystery  of  God  has  been  a  stumbling  block 
to  both  Jews  and  Christians  so  called;  but  in  God's 
due  time  he  will  make  known  to  all  the  secret  of  his 
mystery  and  then  all  rightly  exercised  by  this  will 
rejoice  with  exceeding  joy. 

302  rp]jQ  mystery  is  the  Christ,  the  great  one  through 
whom  redemption,  deliverance  and  blessing  will  ulti- 
mately come  to  all  mankind  who  receive  Christ  and 
obey  him.  God  foreshadowed  his  mystery  for  ages  by 
the  use  of  various  men.  Yet  all  of  that  time  he  kept 
it  secret. 

Death  has  been  and  is  the  great  enemy  of  man. 
Death  is  the  very  opposite  of  life.  The  greatest  desire 
of  man  is  and  always  has  been  to  have  life  everlasting 


Mystery  Revealed 


187 


in  happiness.  From  the  time  of  his  expulsion  from 
Eden  man  has  been  looking  for  something  upon  which 
to  fasten  a  hope  for  life  and  happiness.  Satan  was 
the  cause  of  death,  and  when  God  pronounced  the 
sentence  in  Eden  he  said  that  the  seed  of  the  woman 
should  biniise  the  serpent  s  head.  This  statement  was 
in  the  nature  of  a  promise,  but  it  could  not  then  be 
understood.  Since  Pentecost  some  have  understood  the 
meaning  of  these  words  to  be  an  assurance  that  in 
Grod's  due  time  the  seed  of  promise,  the  seed  of  the 
woman,  will  destroy  Satan,  who  has  the  power  of 
death.  Nearly  two  thousand  years  rolled  by  after 
this  statement  before  anj^hing  further  was  promised. 

Then  unto  Abraham  Jehovah  called  and  made 
him  the  promise:  ''In  thy  seed  shall  all  families  of 
the  earth  be  blessed."  This  was  another  reference  to 
the  mystery ;  but  that  promise  was  not  understood  in 
its  proper  light.  Abraham  believed  God  would  bless 
the  human  race,  but  he  did  not  understand  just  the 
manner  in  which  it  would  be  done.  At  the  time  of 
this  promise  Abraham  had  no  children.  Several  years 
more  passed  and  then  Isaac,  Abraham's  first  son,  was 
bom.  Abraham  believed  that  his  natural  seed,  his 
son  would  be  the  ruler  through  whom  the  blessing 
would  come  to  the  people;  but  his  son  Isaac  was 
merely  a  type  of  the  mystery,  God  using  him  to  fore- 
shadow the  greater  one.  This  promise  was  renewed 
to  Isaac  and  to  Jacob,  and  at  the  death  of  Jacob  his 
descendants,  who  of  course  were  descendants  of  Abra- 
ham, were  organized  into  twelve  tribes,  forming  the 
nation  of  Israel,  and  were  thereafter  recognized  as 
God's  chosen  nation.  (Genesis  49:28;  Deuteronomy 
26:5)  Then  it  was  that  the  faithful  beUeved  that 
God's  promised  blessings  would  come  through  this  na- 
tion, his  chosen  people.  But  in  time  they  became 


188 


The  Harp  of  God 


slaves  to  the  Egyptians  and  their  hopes  were  almost 
blasted.  They  were  sorely  oppressed  in  Egypt  when 
God  sent  Moses  to  be  their  deliverer  and  to  lead  the 
people  of  Israel  out  of  Egj^tian  bondage.  Moses  was 
also  a  tjT^e  foreshadowing  the  great  One.  (Acts  3:  22) 
Moses  died  and  the  promised  blessing  had  not  yet 
come.  The  prophetic  statement  made  by  Moses  that 
God  would  raise  up  unto  Israel  one  like  unto  liimself 
led  the  prophets  to  understand  that  there  would  be  a 
great  one  raised  up  from  the  nation  of  Israel  who 
would  be  the  deliverer  and  blesser  of  mankind. 

Joshua  followed  next  in  line  after  Moses.  His 
name  signifies  savior  or  deliverer.  But  he  also  was 
only  a  type  of  the  great  Deliverer. 

Then  David  became  the  king  of  Israel.  His  name 
means  beloved  one.  The  Jews  had  hoped  that  he 
would  be  the  great  deliverer,  but  in  his  old  age  he 
abdicated  the  throne  in  favor  of  Solomon,  and  yet  the 
blessing  did  not  come.  Solomon  became  the  most 
famous  man  in  the  world  for  riches  and  v/isdom,  and 
the  hopes  of  Israel  were  centered  in  him,  only  to  be 
disappointed.  David  and  Solomon  were  also  but  mere 
types  foreshadomng  the  coming  of  the  great  Deliverer. 

^^'^  The  nation  of  Israel  degenerated  and  under  the 
reign  of  Zedekiah,  their  last  king,  they  fell  into  cap- 
tivity to  the  Babj^onians  and  they  continued  subject 
to  other  nations  until  they  were  finally  driven  out  of 
Palestine. 

Moved  by  the  holy  spirit  of  God  operating  upon 
their  minds,  the  holy  prophets  testified  of  the  coming 
of  this  great  Deliverer,  both  of  his  sufferings  and  of 
his  glory  that  would  follow ;  but  they  did  not  under- 
stand. The  matter  was  a  mystery  to  them.  (1  Peter 
1 : 11)  Even  the  angels  of  heaven  sought  to  look  into 
it,  but  they  were  not  permitted.  God's  purpose  was 


Mystery  Revealed 


189 


to  keep  the  matter  secret  until  his  ovm  due  time  to 
reveal  the  great  truth. 

309  Then  came  Jesus,  whose  coming  was  announced 
by  John  the  Baptist;  and  he- was  pointed  out  as  the 
one  who  would  take  away  tlie  sin  of  the  world.  He 
chose  his  c'isciples  and  they  walked  v-ith  him,  and  he 
taught  them  for  three  and  a  half  years ;  yet  they  did 
not  understand  the  great  mystery.  They  expected 
Jesus  to  be  macl3  an  earthly  king  and  hoped  that  they 
might  be  with  him  in  the  kingdom,  probably  in  his 
cabinet,  because  he  vras  asked  if  one  might  sit  on  his 
left  and  the  other  on  his  right  hand  in  the  kingdom. 
They  expected  him  to  make  Israel  a  great  nation  and 
believed  that  through  that  nation  otlier  nations  would 
be  blessed.  When  he  was  put  to  death  they  were 
greatly  disappointed,  mystified,  and  in  great  distress. 
(Luke  2-1:21)  Even  after  his  resurrection  they  did 
not  understand  his  mission,  and  tliis  is  sho^vn  by  their 
words  to  him  on  tlie  day  that  he  ascended  into  heaven. 
''When  they  therefore  were  come  together,  they  asked 
of  him,  saying,  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore 
again  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ?  And  he  said  unto  them, 
It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  or  the  seasons, 
which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power.  But 
ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the  holy  spirit  is 
come  upon  you:  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me, 
both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  And  when 
he  had  spoken  these  things,  while  they  beheld,  he  was 
taken  up ;  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their 
sight."— Acts  1:6-9. 

In  obedience  to  the  command  of  Jesus,  these 
faithful  disciples  went  to  Jerusalem  to  the  place 
known  as  the  upper  room,  and  there  waited.  Ten 
days  passed  and  then  it  was  that  the  holy  spirit,  the 


ISO 


The  Harp  of  God 


invisible  power  of  God,  was  visited  upon  them ;  and 
true  to  his  promise,  the  disciples  began  to  understand. 

Jesus  had  now  ascended  on  high  and  presented 
the  merit  of  his  sacrifice  before  Jehovah,  and  the 
acceptance  of  this  was  manifested  by  the  giving  of 
the  holy  spirit  to  his  disciples  who  had  been  his  conse- 
crated followers  for  three  and  a  half  years.  Doubt- 
less the  angels  of  heaven  now  began  to  know  some- 
thing about  the  great  mystery.  What  joy  must  have 
been  in  heaven  when  Jesus  Christ  appeared  before 
the  Father  and  presented  the  merit  of  his  sacrifice 
and  was  received  by  Jehovah!  Surely  the  heavenly 
host  must  have  sung  his  praises.  They  had  beheld 
him  triumphing  over  death  and  the  grave  and  now 
exalted  to  a  position  in  heaven  next  to  the  Father. 
It  must  have  been  a  great  joy  to  the  heavenly  host, 
even  as  contemplation  of  it  was  a  great  joy  to  Jesus 
himself.  *'For  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  [he] 
endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  and  is  set 
down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God." 
(Hebrews  12 :  2)  What  joy  must  have  filled  the  hearts 
of  his  disciples  when  they  began  to  understand  the 
mystery  of  God  and  to  see  how  wonderfully  he  had 
led  them  and  their  fathers  before  them,  preparing 
them  now  for  the  revelation  of  this  great  truth! 

In  due  time  Saul  of  Tarsus,  who  afterwards  was 
named  Paul,  was  illuminated  and  understood.  And 
then  he  wrote:  ''Who  now  rejoice  in  my  sufferings 
for  you,  and  fill  up  that  which  is  behind  of  the  afllie- 
tions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh  for  his  body's  sake,  which 
is  the  church ;  whereof  I  am  made  a  minister,  accord- 
ing to  the  dispensation  of  God  which  is  given  to  me 
for  you,  to  fulfil  the  word  of  God ;  even  the  mystery 
which  hath  been  hid  from  ages  and  from  generations, 
but  now  is  made  manifest  to  his  saints :  to  whom  God 


Mystery  Revealed 


191 


would  make  known  what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory 
of  this  mystery  among  the  Gentiles ;  which  [mystery] 
is  Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory. ' '  ( Colossians  1 : 
24-27)  The  apostle  here  emphasizes  the  fact  that  this 
myster^r  of  God  is  now  made  Imown  only  to  the  saints. 

Saints"  means  purified  ones,  which  purification 
comes  through  receiving  the  merit  of  Christ 's  sacrifice. 

The  word  * '  Christ ' '  signifies  anointed.  Anoint- 
ing means  designation  to  official  position  in  God's 
arrangement  The  Christ  is  the  instrument  or  channel 
for  the  blessing  of  manlvind.  The  Christ  is  composed 
of  Jesus,  the  great  and  mighty  head,  and  144,000 
members.  (Revelation  7:4)  Christ  Jesus  is  the  head 
and  the  church  his  body.  We  ofttimes  hear  the  ex- 
pression, a  body  of  men  with  a  general  at  their  head. 
Of  the  Christ  the  apostle  says:  ''And  he  [Christ  Je- 
sus] is  before  all  things,  and  by  him  all  things  con- 
sist. And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church :  who 
is  the  beginning,  the  firstborn  from  the  dead ;  that  in 
all  things  he  might  have  the  preeminence.  For  it 
pleased  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness 
dwell."— Colossians  1:17-19. 

The  Apostle  Paul  uses  a  human  body  to  illus- 
trate the  Christ,  the  great  mystery  class;  the  head 
representing  Jesus,  and  the  other  members  of  the 
body  those  who  are  of  his  church.  ''For  as  the  body 
is  one,  and  hath  many  members,  and  all  the  members 
of  that  one  body,  being  many,  are  one  body;  so  also 
is  Christ.  Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  mem- 
bers in  particular. ' ' — 1  Corinthians  12 : 12,  27. 

315  rpj^g  Christ  is  also  designated  in  the  Scriptures 
as  the  seed  of  Abraham  according  to  the  promise. 
"Now  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the  promises 
made.  He  saith  not,  And  to  seeds,  as  of  many;  but 
as  of  on^,  And  to  thy  seed,  which  is  Christ."  (Gala- 


192 


The  Harp  of  God 


tians  3:16)  Addressing  himself  to  the  church,  the 
Christians,  the  followers  of  Jesus,  the  apostle  further 
said :  * '  For  ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  bap- 
tized into  Christ,  have  put  on  Christ.  And  if  ye  be 
Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  ac- 
cording to  the  promise."  (Galatians  3:26,  27,  29) 
This  is  the  seed,  then,  through  whom  the  blessings 
will  come  to  all  the  families  of  the  earth.  ^'Church" 
means  a  gathered  out  class;  and  so  the  period  from 
Jesus'  first  coming  until  his  second  coming  is  em- 
ployed by  Jehovah  for  the  selection  of  the  church, 
the  seed  of  Abraham,  through  which  blessings  will 
come  to  all  the  remainder  of  mankind  in  God's  due 
time. 

This  same  class  is  called  the  elect  of  God,  accord- 
ing to  his  forelmovrledge. — 1  Peter  1 :  2. 

Again,  the  apostle  likens  the  whole  of  the  Christ 
to  a  living  stone,  saying:  *'Ye  also,  as  living  stones, 
are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  an  holy  priesthood,  to 
offer  up  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ. 
.  .  .  Behold,  I  lay  in  Sion  a  chief  comer  stone,  elect, 
precious:  and  he  that  believeth  on  him  shall  not  be 
confounded.  Unto  you  therefore  which  believe  he  is 
precious."  (1  Peter  2:5-7)  Christ  Jesus,  who  is 
God's  anointed  King,  is  the  chief  corner  Stone  men- 
tioned in  this  prophecy.  The  anointed  ones  who  prove 
faithful  unto  death  will,  as  living  stones,  be  made  a 
part  of  this  building.  The  latter  are  the  members  of 
the  body  of  Christ  and  must  be  made  into  his  like- 
ness and  image. 

Again  this  anointed  class,  Jesus  the  head  and 
the  church  his  body,  is  spoken  of  as  a  royal  priest- 
hood, a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people.  This  was  fore- 


Mystery  Revealed 


193 


shadowed  by  tlie  nation  of  Israel,  particularly  by  the 
priesthood  in  connection  with  the  house  of  Israel. 
The  Apostle  Peter,  spealdng  of  tliis  class,  says:  '*Ye 
arc  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  an  holy 
nation,  a  peculiar  people ;  that  ye  should  shew  forth 
the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  dark- 
ness into  his  mar^^ellous  light:  which  in  time  past 
were  not  a  people,  but  are  now  the  people  of  God; 
v/hich  had  not  obtained  mercy,  but  now  have  obtained 
mercy.''— 1  Peter  2:9,  10. 

The  members  of  the  body  of  Christ,  the  church, 
are  also  designated  as  his  footstep  followers;  and  as 
such  they  are  called  to  suffer  with  him  that  they 
might  also  reign  with  him.  *'For  even  hereunto  were 
ye  called :  because  Christ  also  suffered  for  us,  leaving 
us  an  example,  tliat  ye  should  follov/  his  steps," 
(1  Peter  2:21)  These  are  also  designated  as  Chris- 
tians. It  does  not  mean  that  because  one  is  a  member 
of  some  earthly  organization  called  a  church  he  is  a 
Christian  or  a  member  of  the  true  church.  The  true 
church  is  the  body  of  Christ ;  and  any  one  to  be  of 
the  true  church  must  be  a  follower  of  Christ  in  the 
truest  sense  of  the  word.  To  this  class  are  given  the 
exceeding  great  and  precious  promises  recorded  in  the 
Bible,  the  promises  of  being  associated  with  Christ 
Jesus  in  his  kingdom..  (2  Peter  1:4)  Not  to  the 
world,  but  to  his  followers  Jesus  said:  "Be  thou 
faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  cro'\vn  of 
life."— Revelation  2rl0. 

No  one  has  been  able  to  understand  these  things 
and  appreciate  them  except  those  who  have  given 
their  hearts  to  the  Lord.  The  Apostle  Paul  says: 
**The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
spirit  of  God:  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him: 
neither  can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritu- 


\ 


194  The  Harp  of  God 

ally  discerned.'*  (1  Corinthians  2:14)  Jehovah  has 
so  arranged  that  only  those  who  have  their  minds 
illuminated  by  the  holy  spirit,  which  follows  their 
consecration,  justification,  and  acceptance  by  the 
Lord,  can  understand  and  appreciate  the  mystery  of 
God.  After  one  becomes  a  Christian  he  must  continue 
to  joyfully  obey  God's  commandments  if  he  would 
continue  to  have  an  understanding  and  appreciation 
of  the  truth  as  set  forth  in  his  Word. 

The  hiding  of  this  mystery  was  illustrated  by 
Jehovah  in  the  construction  of  the  tabernacle  in  the 
wilderness  and  its  furnishings.  The  inside  walls  of 
the  tabernacle  were  covered  with  pure  gold.  Inside 
the  Holy  were  the  golden  candlestick,  the  table  cov- 
ered with  gold  for  the  showbread,  and  the  golden 
altar ;  and  in  the  Most  Holy  was  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant. The  tabernacle  inside,  therefore,  was  beautiful, 
but  it  was  hidden  from  the  people  on  the  outside  be- 
cause it  was  covered  with  three  heavy  layers  of  cloth 
and  skins.  The  priest  ministered  inside  the  taber- 
nacle, and  therefore  was  unseen  by  the  people.  As 
God  thus  hid  these  things  which  were  typical  of 
greater  things,  so  he  has  hidden  the  glories  and  beau- 
ties of  spiritual  things,  seen  only  by  those  who  have 
come  into  relationship  with  him  through  Christ. 

322  rpj^g  Christian  era  is  the  antitypical  day  of  atone- 
ment. With  the  Jews  there  was  one  day  each  year 
called  the  day  of  atonement.  In  that  day  the  priest 
alone  was  in  the  Holy  and  the  Most  Holy ;  and  even 
so  on  the  antit^/pical  day  of  atonement  no  one  is  in 
the  Holy  condition  except  those  v/ho  are  in  relaticHi- 
ship  with  Christy  the  great  high  priest.  The  Lord  has 
been  pleased  to  permit  these  during  the  Christian  era 
to  have  some  understanding  of  his  Word,  therefore 
receiving  the  sweet  and  refreshing  music  from  his 


Mystery  Revealed 


195 


harp ;  and  the  light  has  grown  in  brilliancy  and  the 
music  in  harmony  as  the  understanding  has  increased. 
To  the  world  in  general,  Christians  have  been  de- 
spised because  not  understood.  The  Lord  of  glory, 
when  on  earth,  was  despised  because  he  was  misun- 
derstood. And  so  his  true  followers  seem  to  be  a  mean 
and  despised  people.  The  poet  has  truly  said: 

"Why  do  they,  then,  appear  so  mean? 

And  why  so  much  despised? 
Because,  of  their  rich  robes,  unseen, 

The  world  is  not  apprized." 

Satan  has  tried  to  counterfeit  every  part  of 
Jehovah's  plan;  so  he  organized  a  mysterious  system 
in  the  earth  which  is  iniquitous  and  is  known  as  ''the 
mystery  of  iniquity '\  (2  Thessalonians  2:7;  Reve- 
lation 17:5)  This  mystery  of  iniquity  God  will  de- 
stroy in  his  great  day  of  vengeance  which  is  now  on, 
and  then  the  mystery  of  God  will  be  more  clearly 
revealed  to  mankind.  It  is  revealed  to  individuals 
now  as  they  come  into  Christ.  It  is  important,  there- 
fore, for  us  to  know  how  one  becomes  a  member  of  the 
Christ,  the  great  mystery  of  God. 

BODY  MEMBERS  SELECTED 

The  mystery  of  God  involves  an  understanding 
and  appreciation  of  the  fundamental  truths  of  re- 
pentance, consecration,  justification,  spirit-begetting, 
and  sanctification.  Let  us  now  trace  the  steps  of  one 
in  the  world  as  he  comes  to  Jehovah  that  he  might  be 
a  member  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

Because  of  the  disobedience  of  father  Adam,  all 
of  his  children  are  born  imperfect,  all  sinners.  ' '  There 
is  none  righteous,  no,  not  one. "(Romans  3: 10 ;  5 : 12) 


193 


The  Harp  of  God 


All  sucli  are  out  of  harmony  with  God.  They  have  no 
right  to  life.  It  has  pleased  Jehovah,  then,  during 
the  age  of  sacrifice  to  draw  to  Jesus,  the  great  Re- 
deemer and  Deliverer,  those  who  have  the  desire  to 
come  into  harmony  with  him.  The  prophet  says:  'The 
reverence  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom.' 
(Psalm  111:10)  The  first  thing  essential  for  one 
becoming  a  Christian  is  an  honest  desire  to  know  the 
Lord  and  to  do  his  will.  A  man  with  this  honest  de- 
sire, then,  realizes  that  he  is  a  sinner  and  born  such ; 
and  he  has  an  honest  desire  to  come  to  God.  He  learns 
that  Jesus  is  his  Redeemer  and  he  wants  to  know 
more  about  him  and  do  his  will.  In  his  mind  he  does 
not  approve  the  waj^s  of  the  world.  He  begins  to 
think  about  the  Lord  and  wants  to  loiow  more  about 
him.  He  begins  to  turn  his  face  in  the  right  direction. 
When  he  ceases  to  approve  the  course  of  the  Vv^orld, 
he  is  repentant  to  that  extent.  Repentance  means  a 
change  of  mind  respecting  one's  relationship  to  evil. 

Jesus  said:  **No  man  can  come  to  me,  except 
the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him.'*  (John 
6:44)  The  man  is  now  drawn  to  Jesus  by  what  he 
learns  of  Jesus,  what  Jesus  has  done  for  him,  and 
by  his  own  desire  to  follow  a  different  course.  "When 
one  ceases  to  approve  the  worldly  course  and  begins 
to  seek  after  the  Lord,  he  is  in  that  condition  men- 
tioned by  the  apostle  as  seeldng  God,  ''if  haply  they 
might  feel  after  him,  and  find  him."  (Acts  17:27) 
When  he  is  drawn  to  Jesus,  seeking  God,  then  he  is 
converted.  lie  is  now  in  the  condition  spoken  of  by 
the  apostle  when  he  said:  ''Repent  ye  therefore,  and 
be  converted,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out." 
(Acts  3:19)  Repentance  means  a  change  of  mind 
respecting  one's  relationship  to  e\^l ;  and  conversion 
means  a  change  of  one's  course.  But  neither  rep  en- 


Mystery  Revealed 


197 


tanee  nor  conversion,  nor  both  together,  brings  the 
individual  into  relationship  with  God.  Being  drawn 
to  Jesus,  he  must  exercise  faith.  Faith  means  first 
to  understand  and  believe  that  God  exists ;  that  lie 
is  the  great  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek 
him ;  that  the  Bible  is  his  Word  of  truth ;  that  Jesus 
is  his  beloved  Son  and  our  Redeemer;  and  then  to 
rely  confidently  upon  these  things  and  prove  this  re- 
liance by  his  action. — Hebrews  11 : 1,  6. 

He  now  needs  information  to  increase  his  faith, 
and  the  prophet  has  written:  ''The  testimony  of  the 
Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple."  (Psalm  19:  7) 
To  such  now  as  are  feeling  after  God,  through  Christ 
J esus  this  message  comes :  ' '  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest. ' ' 
(Matthew  11:28)  Heavy  laden  means  to  be  weary 
of  the  sinful  course  of  the  world  and  to  have  a  desire 
to  be  relieved  of  this  burden.  Such  a  one  says:  'I 
am  tired  of  the  wrongful  course.  I  want  to  follow  the 
right  course,  to  know  God,  and  to  do  his  will.' 

Now  being  drawn  to  Jesus,  he  learns  through 
the  Word  that  he  must  do  something.  To  him  Jesus 
says :  '  I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life :  no 
man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.'  (John 
14:6)  What  can  one  who  is  now  repentant  and 
changing  his  course,  but  still  a  sinner,  do  to  come 
into  harmony  with  God?  He  is  informed  that  it  will 
cost  him  much.  So  Jesus  says  to  him:  'Sit  down  and 
count  the  cost.'  (Luke  14:  28)  He  learns  it  will  cost 
him  all  he  has,  namely,  the  surrender  of  himself  to 
the  Lord.  The  next  step  for  one,  then,  to  become  a 
Christian  is  to  make  a  consecration;  that  is  to  say, 
to  commit  himself  to  the  Lord  and  his  arrangements. 
And  this  he  may  do  by  saying  in  substance :  '  Blessed 
Lord,  I  commit  myself  to  thy  arrangements;  here  I 


198 


The  Harp  of  God 


am.  Do  unto  me  according  to  thy  holy  will.  I  desire 
to  do  thy  will.' 

Neither  the  Lord  J esus  nor  the  heavenly  Father 
coerces  any  one,  but  we  must  come  to  the  Lord  volun- 
tarily, seeking  his  aid.  This  is  clearly  indicated  as 
necessary  to  become  the  follower  of  Jesus  by  the 
words  the  Master  used:  'If  you  will  be  my  disciple, 
you  must  deny  yourself,  then  take  up  your  cross,  and 
follow  me.'  (Matthew  16:24)  Self-denial  means  an 
agreement  to  abandon  one's  selfish  cour-se  and  to 
agree  to  do  the  v>all  of  the  Lord.  It  means  a  full  and 
complete  surrender  of  oneself  unto  the  Lord.  And 
this  is  consecration,  the  setting  aside  of  oneself  to 
do  the  Lord's  v/ill. 

330  Those  who  are  selected  to  be  members  of  the 
body  of  Christ,  which  selection  is  done  during  the 
Christian  era,  must  be  justified  in  order  that  they 
might  be  accepted.  They  are  justified  only  for  the 
purpose  of  being  accepted  as  a  part  of  the  sacrifice 
of  the  Lord.  On  the  typical  day  of  atonement  when 
the  high  priest  of  Israel  slew  the  animals,  the  Lord's 
goat  pictured  this  class  who  come  to  the  Lord  in  con- 
secration. That  goat  must  be  perfect,  without  any 
blemish;  thus  foreshadowing  how  that  all  who  are 
presented  unto  the  Lord  to  be  accepted  as  a  part 
of  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus,  and  hence  to  become  mem- 
bers of  his  body,  must  be  perfect;  and  since  man  is 
imperfect  himself,  something  must  be  done  for  him 
in  order  to  make  him  stand  before  the  Lord  Jehovah 
as  perfect.  He  must  be  justified.  Justification  means 
to  be  made  right  vnth  God.  This  must  all  be  done 
in  the  acceptable  time  of  the  Lord.  (Isaiah  49:8; 
61:2)  Any  one  coming  to  the  Lord  Jesus  with  an 
honest  desire  to  be  presented  to  the  Father  in  the 
acceptable  year  or  time  may  be  assured  that  he  will 


Mystery  Revealed 


199 


not  be  cast  out,  because  Jesus  said:  **Him  that 
Cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.*'  (John  6:37) 
He  would  not  decline  to  present  any  genuine  conse- 
cration before  the  heavenly  Father.  Of  course  this 
consecration  must  be  made  before  the  person  can  be 
presented. 

Jehovah  God  is  the  great  wise  judge  of  the  uni- 
verse; and  he  sits  to  determine  whether  or  not  one 
thus  presented  is  right  or  not.  **It  is  God  that  justi- 
fieth. '  '—Romans  8 :  33. 

The  steps  essential  now  to  justification,  as  shown 
by  the  Scriptures,  briefly  stated,  are  these :  ( 1 )  Faith 
in  God  and  his  promises,  which  is  exercised  and  proven 
by  making  a  surrender  of  ourselves  to  the  Lord;  (2) 
receiving  the  merit  of  Christ,  and  his  presentation  to 
the  Father;  and  (3)  the  determination  by  Jehovah 
God  that  the  one  thus  presented  is  right.  The  follow- 
ing scriptures  show  these  points  in  the  order  named : 
By  faith  are  we  justified  (Romans  5 : 1)  ;  by  the  blood 
of  Jesus  are  we  justified  (Romans  5:9)  ;  *'It  is  God 
that  justifieth."  (Romans  8:33)  Christ  Jesus  is  the 
great  High  Priest.  When  we  make  a  consecration  of 
ourselves,  then  he  presents  us  to  the  Father.  (John 
6 :  37 )  But  in  order  to  make  us  acceptable  or  presen- 
table to  the  Father,  the  merit  of  Jesus'  sacrifice  must 
be  imputed  to  us.  When  he  ascended  on  high,  he  de- 
posited with  Jehovah  the  ransom  price,  the  merit  of 
his  sacrifice,  as  we  have  seen,  pictured  by  the  blood. 
The  second  step,  then,  is  taken  when  Jesus  imputes 
to  the  one  thus  coming  to  the  Lord  the  merit  of  his 
sacrifice,  which  makes  him  presentable  to  the  Father, 
Jehovah;  then  Jehovah,  upon  the  merit,  determines, 
as  the  great  Judge,  that  the  one  thus  presented  is 
right,  is  justified,  and  is  acceptable  as  a  part  of  the 
sacrifice  of  his  beloved  Son.  Thus  Jehovah  has  been 


200 


The  Harp  of  God 


receiving  sacrifices  throughout  the  Christian  era ;  but 
that  acceptable  year  or  time  will  soon  pass,  as  indeed 
it  is  now  passing. — Hebrews  3 : 13. 

SPIRIT-BEGETTING 

The  one  that  is  justified  before  Jehovah  is  then 
counted  right  or  justified  that  he  might  be  a  part  of 
the  great  sacrifice  of  God's  beloved  Son  Jesus,  to  the 
end  that  he  might  be  a  part  of  the  mystery  class  and 
ultimately  reign  with  Christ.  The  next  thing  indi- 
cated by  the  Scriptures  is  the  begetting  of  such  a  one 
as  a  new  creature.  Begetting  means  the  beginning. 
The  begetting  of  the  new  creature,  then,  means  the 
beginning  of  a  ne^vness  of  life.  When  justified  by 
Jehovah,  there  results  to  him  the  right  to  live  as  a 
human  being  on  earth,  and  this  is  what  he  immedi- 
ately sacrifices.  At  the  same  time  Jehovah  begets  him 
to  a  hope  of  life  upon  the  high  or  heavenly  plane,  be- 
cause he  is  called  to  a  -^high  calling",  a  "heavenly 
calling".  (Philippians  3 : 14 ;  Hebrews  3:1)  This  be- 
getting is  in  the  nature  of  a  contract  or  an  agree- 
ment. Covenant  is  also  a  word  used  for  contract.  In 
order  to  make  a  contract  there  must  be  two  or  more 
parties,  and  there  must  be  a  consideration  passing 
from  one  to  the  other.  Where  there  are  mutual  prom- 
ises, made  on  both  sides,  this  is  sufficient  considera- 
tion. We  will  name  the  one  whom  we  have  been  dis- 
cussing as  coming  to  justification  Honest  Heart. 

Honest  Heart  presents  himself  to  the  Lord  Je- 
sus the  high  priest,  fully  surrendering  himself  and 
agreeing  to  do  the  will  of  God.  There  is  the  promise 
on  his  part,  then,  and  he  is  one  party  to  the  contract 
through  his  advocate,  the  Lord  Jesus.  And  when 
Christ  Jesus  the  high  priest  presents  him  to  the 
Father,  Jehovah,  the  Lord  Jehovah  in  substance  says 


Mystery  Revealed 


201 


to  Honest  Heart:  *In  consideration  of  the  fact  that 
you  have  turned  away  from  the  wrongful  course,  and 
have  come  to  Jesus,  and  have  made  a  full  surrender 
of  yourself  in  consecration,  thereby  exercising  faith 
in  his  blood  shed  for  you  and  your  faith  in  my  plan ; 
and  in  consideration  of  the  further  fact  that  my  be- 
loved Son  has  imputed  to  you  his  merit  to  make  you 
acceptable  before  me,  I  accept  you  and  determine 
that  you  are  right  or  justified,  and  accepting  you  as 
a  part  of  his  sacrifice,  I  give  to  you  my  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises  that  by  these  you  might 
become  partaker  of  the  divine  nature. ' — 2  Peter  1 :  4. 

This  is  in  harmony  with  James's  statement :  ''Of 
his  own  will  begat  he  us  with  the  word  of  truth,  that 
we  should  be  a  kind  of  firstfruits  of  his  creatures." 
(James  1 : 18)  The  psalmist  shows  that  this  begetting 
is  in  the  nature  of  a  contract  when  he  says :  ' '  Gather 
my  saints  together  unto  me ;  those  w^ho  have  made  a 
covenant  [contract]  with  me  by  sacrifice."  (Psalm 
50 :  5 )  Honest  Heart  now  being  begotten  has  the 
promise  of  life  upon  the  highest  plane,  the  divine 
nature.  He  is  begotten  to  a  new  hope  of  life.  Peter 
thus  writes:  ''Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  according  to  his  abundant 
mercy  hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope  by 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  to  an 
inheritance  incorruptible,  and  undefiled,  and  that 
f adeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,  who  are 
kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salva- 
tion, ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time. "  (1  Peter 
1:3-5)  The  inheritance  to  which  Honest  Heart  is 
now  begotten  is  an  incorruptible  inheritance,  which 
is  the  divine  nature.  This  means  that  if  he  is  faithful 
unto  death,  faithful  to  his  part  of  the  contract,  he 
is  certain  to  be  born  upon  the  divine  plane,  for  the 


202 


The  Harp  of  God 


reason  that  Jehovah  is  always  faithful  to  his  part  of 
the  contract;  and  so  Jesus  says:  *'Be  thou  faithful 
unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." — 
Revelation  2 : 10. 

Any  one  thus  presented  by  Jesus  to  the  Father, 
Jehovah,  justified,  accepted  and  begotten,  is  desig- 
nated in  the  Scriptures  as  a  new  creature.  *'If  any 
man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature:  old  things 
are  passed  away ;  behold,  all  things  are  become  new. 
(2  Corinthians  5 : 17)  There  is  now  a  newness  of  life, 
which  does  not  result  from  being  transferred  to  an- 
other climate,  but  from  being  given  a  new  dominating 
factor  in  our  lives,  namely,  the  will  of  God.  Honest 
Heart,  or  whoever  takes  this  step,  now  has  new  hopes, 
new  aims,  new  ambitions,  new  aspirations,  and  new 
ideas.  He  is  not  looking  for  earthly  honor  and  gloiy ; 
but  he  is  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  he  might 
be  for  ever  with  the  Lord  in  his  kingdom  and  be  a 
part  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  according  to  the  prom- 
ise, through  which  the  blessings  of  manldnd  will  come. 

This  one  is  now  dead  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
human  being,  as  the  Apostle  Paul  puts  it:  ''Ye  are 
dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  Grod." 
(Colossians  3:3)  The  new  creature  now  must  be 
renewed,  refreshed  and  invigorated  and  strengthened 
by  knowledge ;  not  by  ordinary  knowledge,  but  by  an 
acquaintance  with  God 's  will  and  a  deep  appreciation 
of  his  plan.  (Colossians  1:9)  The  world  can  not 
know  anything  about  this ;  only  those  who  are  in  the 
relationship  with  the  Lord.  The  whole  world  lies  in 
the  wicked  one.  (1  John  5 : 19)  But  now  the  new  crea- 
ture in  Christ  is  admonished  to  be  not  conformed  to 
this  world,  but  to  be  transformed  by  the  renewing  of 
his  mind,  that  he  might  prove  what  is  the  good  and 
acceptable  and  perfect  will  of  God. — Romans  12:2. 


Mystery  Revealed 


203 


338  rpj^g  begotten  is  begotten  by  the  spirit  of 
God,  the  holy  spirit.  He  is  also  anointed.  This  anoint- 
ing is  received  by  reason  of  coming  into  the  body  of 
Christ.  He  is  baptized  into  Christ 's  death ;  therefore 
baptized  into  Christ's  body.  To  be  baptized  means  to 
be  immersed.  To  be  baptized  into  Christ's  death 
means  to  be  immersed  into  the  death  of  Christ.  And 
so  the  apostle  puts  it:  *'ICnow  ye  not,  that  so  many 
of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ  were  baptized 
into  his  death?  Therefore  we  are  buried  with  him  by 
baptism  into  death:  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised 
up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even 
so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of  life."  (Romans 
6:  3,  4)  Baptism  in  water  is  merely  a  symbol  of  the 
real  baptism.  It  would  do  no  one  any  good  to  be 
baptized  in  water  unless  he  had  first  undergone  the 
real  baptism  by  being  immersed  into  Christ. 

All  of  those  who  are  thus  inducted  into  the  body 
of  Christ  receive  the  anointing  through  the  head  of  the 
Christ,  Jesus  the  beloved  One.  This  is  illustrated  or 
pictured  by  God's  dealings  with  Israel.  In  the  type 
Aaron  the  high  priest  was  anointed.  **He  [Moses] 
poured  of  the  anointing  oil  upon  Aaron's  head,  and 
anointed  him,  to  sanctify  him."  (Leviticus  8:12) 
This  anointing  oil  was  poured  upon  Aaron 's  head  and 
ran  down  upon  his  garment.  (Psalm  133:2)  Aaron 
the  high  priest  was  a  type  of  the  entire  Christ,  head 
and  body.  As  the  oil  was  poured  upon  his  head  and 
ran  down  to  the  skirt  of  his  garments,  so  in  antitype, 
Jesus  the  head,  at  the  time  of  his  baptism  in  the 
Jordan,  received  the  anointing  of  the  holy  spirit  with- 
out measure  (Matthew  3:16,17);  and  at  Pentecost 
his  disciples  received  the  anointing  of  the  holy  spirit. 
And  thereafter  during  the  age  of  sacrifice  all  who 
come  into  Christ  receive  this  anointing  through 


204 


The  Harp  of  God 


Christ  Jesus  the  head  by  virtue  of  being  inducted 
into  the  body  of  Christ. 

Those  who  are  thus  anointed  have  the  spirit  of 
the  Lord  and  by  virtue  of  his  spirit  are  able  to  un- 
derstand the  mystery  of  God  and  to  appreciate  the 
fact  that  they  have  the  promise  of  being  joint-heirs 
with  Christ  Jesus  in  his  Idngdom.  To  be  anointed 
means  to  be  assigned  to  a  place  in  the  body  of  Christ. 
*'The  spirit  itself  beareth  v/itness  vv^ith  our  spirit,  that 
we  are  the  children  of  God:  and  if  children,  then 
heirs ;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ ;  if 
so  be  that  we  suffer  vath  him,  that  we  may  be  also 
gloriiled  together. ' ' — Romans  8 : 16, 17. 

SANCTIFICATION 

S41  Ti-^ese  new  creatures  in  Christ,  otherv/ise  called 
members  of  his  body,  must  now  be  transformed  and 
made  into  the  image  and  likeness  of  their  Head.  (Ro- 
mans 8:29)  They  must  be  sanctified.  Sanctification 
means  to  be  set  apart  for  the  use  of  Jehovah.  It  means 
the  process  of  making  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light.  (Colossians  1: 12) 
It  is  the  process  of  perfecting  the  saints.  (Ephesians 
4: 12)  This  process  begins  when  Jehovah  accepts  our 
consecration  and  begets  us ;  and  must  continue  until 
birth  upon  the  spirit  plane. 

Sanctification,  then,  is  to  be  made  holy,  in  the 
likeness  of  our  Lord.   Concerning  such  Jesus  said: 

Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth:  thy  word  is 
truth."  (John  17: 17)  The  Christian  now  must  feed 
upon  or  study  the  AYord  of  God,  learn  its  principles, 
learn  of  Jehovah  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  strive 
to  conform  his  own  life  thereto.  He  now  has  set  be- 
fore him  the  hope  of  being  made  like  the  Lord  in 
glory;  and    every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in  him 


Mystery  Revealed 


205 


purifieth  himself,  even  as  he  is  pure'\  (1  John  3:3) 
This  process  of  sanetification  is  done  by  the  Lord 
through  his  Word.  ' '  Both  he  who  sanctifies  and  those 
whom  he  is  sanctifying  have  all  one  Father;  and 
for  this  reason  he  is  not  ashamed  to  speak  of  them  as 
his  brothers."  (Hebrews  2: 11,  Weymouth)  Here  we 
see  the  sanctifier  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  those 
whom  he  is  sanctifying  are  the  members  of  his  body ; 
and  all  of  these  have  one  Father,  Jehovah  God; 
therefore  all  of  the  one  body,  constituting  the  mystery 
of  God. 

All  this  work  of  sanetification  is  done  in  what 
we  designate  the  school  of  Christ ;  and  it  is  only  those 
who  are  in  this  school  by  being  in  Christ  Jesus  that 
can  be  sanctified  and  ultimately  be  a  part  of  that 
glorious  mystical  body,  the  heavenly  kingdom  class 
that  will  constitute  the  great  prophet,  priest,  and  king. 

This  mystery  hid  from  ages  and  generations  and 
made  known  only  to  the  saints  is,  says  the  Apostle 
Paul,  the  Christ;  and  the  Christ  in  you  is  the  hope 
of  glory.  Those  who  are  in  Christ  and  who  have  the 
spirit  of  Christ  in  them  have  the  glorious  hope  of 
being  born  on  the  divine  plane  as  members  of  the 
body  of  Christ.  These  are  called  to  the  obtaining  of 
the  glory  of  our  Lord  J  esus  Christ ;  and  to  them  are 
given  all  the  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises 
contained  in  the  Word  of  God.  The  prophet  speaking 
of  them  and  to  them  said:  **The  Gentiles  shall  see 
thy  righteousness,  and  all  kings  thy  glory:  and  thou 
shalt  be  called  by  a  new  name,  which  the  mouth  of 
the  Lord  shall  name.  Thou  shalt  also  be  a  crown  of 
glory  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  a  royal  diadem 
in  the  hand  of  thy  God.''  (Isaiah  62:2,3)  These 
have  the  promise:  *'When  Christ,  who  is  our  life, 
shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  him  in 


206 


The  Harp  of  God 


glory."  (Colossians  3:4)  And  ''then  shall  the  right- 
eous shine  forth  as  the  snn  in  the  kingdom  of  their 
Father  ".—Matthew  13 :  43. 

245  rpj^g  Apostle  Paul  declares  that  he  was  made  a 
minister,  according  to  the  gift  of  God,  that  he  should 
preach  to  the  nations  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  "and  to  make  all  men  see  what  is  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  mystery,  which  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world  hath  been  hid  in  God,  who  created  all  things 
by  Jesus  Christ:  to  the  intent  that  now  unto  the 
principalities  and  powers  in  heavenly  places  might  be 
[made]  known,  by  the  church,  the  manifold  wisdom 
of  God,  according  to  the  eternal  purpose  which  he 
purposed  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  (Ephesians 
3:7-11)  Thus  we  see  that  this  great  mystery  is  the 
Christ,  and  that  for  six  thousand  years  Jehovah  has 
been  preparing  for,  developing  and  completing  this 
great  mystery ;  and  that  when  completed,  he  will  use 
the  Christ  as  his  prophet,  priest,  and  king  to  minister 
unto  the  people,  to  rule  over  the  people,  and  to  bless 
the  people,  according  to  his  promise. 

346  rpi^^  apostle  declares  that  the  whole  creation  is 
groaning  and  travailing  in  pain,  waiting  for  the  man- 
ifestation of  this  great  mystery.  (Romans  8:19-22) 
The  people  do  not  Imow  for  what  they  are  v/aiting. 
But  when  the  great  mystery  is  complete  and  Messiah 's 
Idngdom  set  up,  then  God  will  bring  his  long-promdsed 
blessings  to  mankind,  and  ultimately  his  will  shall  be 
done  upon  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 


What  is  a  mystery?  ^  208. 

How  eouid  Jehovah  hide  or  keep  secret  his  plan  from 
others?  ^  298. 
Has  he  kept  his  plan  secret?  %  298. 


Mystery  Revealed 


207 


When  Jesus  was  on  earth,  why  did  he  teach  by  parables? 
If  299. 

Did  the  disciples  always  understand  his  meaning?  Tf  299. 

Did  he  instruct  the  disciples  how  they  would  be  taught 
after  his  departure?  and  if  so,  how?  ^  299. 

What  is  meant  by  the  spirit  of  truth?  ^  299. 

When  was  the  holy  spirit  given  to  the  disciples?  Give 
the  Scriptural  proof.  If  300. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  term  "holy  ghost"?  If  300. 

When  did  God's  mystery  begin  to  be  understood  by  the 
disciples?  tf  301. 

What  effect  has  the  mystery  had  on  Jews  and  so-called 
Christians?  If  301. 

Define  the  mystery  of  God.  If  302. 

How  did  God  foreshadow  the  mystery?  If  302. 

What  is  man's  great  enemy?  If  302. 

What  is  and  always  has  been  man's  greatest  deeire?  and 
how  long  has  man  been  seeking  for  this  thing  desired?  ^  303. 

Who  was  the  cause  of  death?  ^  303. 

At  the  time  when  God  pronounced  the  sentence  in  Eden, 
was  the  statement,  *The  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the 
serpent's  head,'  understood?  ^  303. 

When  did  it  begin  to  be  understood?  If  303. 

What  great  promise  was  made  nearly  two  thousand  years 
after  the  expulsion  from  Eden?  Quote  the  promise.  If  301 

Did  that  promise  have  reference  to  the  mystery  of  God? 
and  was  it  understood  then?  Tf  304. 

Did  Abraham  understand  the  promise?  If  304. 

Did  Abraham  have  any  children  at  that  time?  If  304. 

Through  whom  did  Abraham  expect  the  blessing  to  come 
to  the  people?  If  304. 

If  the  promise  was  renewed,  to  whom  was  it  renewed? 
Tf  304. 

What  was  expected  through  the  seed  of  Abraham?  If  304. 

AVhat  effect  did  the  Israelites'  enslavement  have  upon 
their  hopes?  If  304. 

Whom  did  God  send  to  deliver  the  Israelites  from  Egypt? 
and  whom  did  he  typify?  If  304. 

AVhat  effect  did  Moses'  prophetic  statement  have  upon 
the  psople  with  reference  to  the  One  of  whom  he  was  a 
type?  If  304. 

What  is  signified  by  the  name  Joshua?  and  of  whom  was 
Joshua  a  type?  If  305. 


208 


The  Harp  of  God 


Wlio  was  the  beloved  king  of  Israel?  and  what  did  tlie 
Jews  hope  would  come  through  him?  1[  306. 

Who  succeeded  this  king  on  the  throne?  ^  306. 

For  what  was  Solomon  famous?  H  306. 

"What  became  the  condition  of  Israel  under  the  reign  of 
Zedekiah?  %  307. 

Did  the  prophets  who  testified  of  the  coming  of  Messiah 
understand  their  testimony?  ^  303. 

Were  the  angels  of  heaven  permitted  to  understand?  H  308. 

V/hy  did  God  keep  this  mystery  a  secret?  %  308. 

Who  announced  the  coming  of  Jesus?  and  what  was  his 
particular  message  or  announcem,ent?  If  309. 

How  many  disciples  did  Jesus  choose?  II  309. 

Kow  long  did  he  teach  them  personally?  ^  309. 

V/hat  were  the  expectations  of  the  disciples  relative  to 
Jesus?  ^  309. 

What  effect  did  his  death  have  upon  them?  ^  309. 

What  was  their  expectation  after  his  resurrection,  and 
why?  II  309. 

What  did  Jesus  say  to  them  at  the  time  of  his  ascension 
to  heaven  ?  %  309. 

Where  did  the  disciples  tarry  after  Jesus'  ascension? 
and  how  long  before  they  received  any  manifestation  from 
the  Lord?  ^  310. 

How  was  God's  power  manifested  toward  them  at  Pente- 
cost? H  310. 

Hov7  v%-as  the  acceptance  of  the  merit  of  Jesus  as  the 
sin-offering  manifested  to  men  by  Jehovah?  H  311. 

Jlay  we  believe  that  there  was  much  joy  in  heaven  when 
Jesus  presented  the  merit  of  his  sacrifice?  and  if  so,  why? 
H  311. 

What  effect  did  the  understanding  of  the  mystery  have 
upon  the  disciples?  ^  311. 

What  did  Paul  say  about  the  mystery  of  God?  ^  312. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  vvord  "saints"?  H  312. 

VvTiat  does  the  word  "Christ"  signify?  H  313. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  "anoirting"?  ^  313. 

AVho  compose  the  Christ?  \  313. 

Vrho  is  the  head?  and  who  the  body?  H  313. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  of  who  coiistitutes  the  Head  and 
the  body  of  Christ.  «I  313. 

Kow  docs  Paul  use  the  human  body  to  illustrate  the 
body  of  Christ?  H  314. 


Mystery  Revealed 


209 


TVhat  is  meant  by  the  seed  of  Abraham?  Give  Scriptural 
prool'.  If  315. 

Vv'hat  is  the  meaning  of  the  terra  "church"?  H  315. 

Who  is  meant  by  the  "elect  of  God"?  If  31G. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  tliat  the  members  of  tlie  Christ  are 
called  "living  stones".  If  317. 

Who  is  the  chief  corner-stone  in  the  building  of  Gad? 
If  317. 

Who  will  be  made  a  part  of  this  building  of  God?  If  317. 
Who  constitute  the  royal  priesthood?    Give  Scriptural 
proof.  If  318. 

Why  are  the  members  of  the  cliurch  called  footstep 
followers  of  Jesus?  If  319. 

"What  are  these  followers  called  upon  to  do?  If  319. 
Define  the  term  "Christian".  Tf  310. 

Is  every  church  member  a  Christian?  and  if  not,  why 
not?  If  319. 

What  promises  are  given  to  the  Christian?  Give  Scrip- 
tural proof.  If  319. 

What  particular  reward  is  promised  to  the  ones  who  are 
faithful  unto  death?  ^  319. 

Can  everybody  understand  these  great  truths?  and  if 
not,  why  not?  ^  320. 

What  is  essential  in  order  to  understand  the  mystery  of 
God?  If  320. 

How  was  the  mystery  illustrated  in  the  tabernacle  fur- 
nishings? If  321. 

Could  the  priest  be  seen  by  the  people  while  ministering 
in  the  tabernacle?  If  321. 

What  did  this  concealing  of  the  priest  in  the  holy  illus- 
trate relative  to  the  mystery?  If  321. 

What  is  the  antitypical  atonement  day?  *if  322. 

How  often  did  the  atonement  day  occur  V7ith  the  Jews? 
If  322. 

On  that  day,  who  was  in  the  holy  and  the  most  holy  of 
the  tabernacle?  ^  322. 

What  does  this  picture  in  the  antitype?  If  322. 

Why  have  the  followers  of  Jesus  been  despised  by  the 
world?  If  322. 

What  counterfeit  of  the  mystery  of  God  has  Satan  organ- 
ized? Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  323. 


210 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  will  be  the  ultimate  end  of  the  mystery  of  iniquity? 
•[  323. 

Is  it  important  to  know  how  one  becomes  a  member  of 

the  mystery  class?  ^  32:-}. 
An  understanding  of  the  mystery  involves  what?  H  32-1 
In  what  condition  have  all  the  human  race  been  born? 

If  325. 

Vv'liom  has  Jehovah  drawn  to  Jesus  during  the  Christian 
era?  ^  325. 

What  constitutes  the  beginning  of  wisdom?  Give  Scrip- 
tural proof.  ^  325. 

V.'h.at  is  the  first  essential  to  one's  becoming  a  Christian? 
^  325. 

Wliat  constitutes  repentance?  ^  325. 
How  is  one  drav/n  to  Jesus?  ^  326. 

When  may  it  be  said  of  one  that  he  is  converted?  ^  323. 
Define  the  difference  between  repentance  and  conversion. 
326. 

Do  repentance  and  conversion  bring  one  into  relation- 
ship with  God?  and  if  not,  why  not?  ^  32G. 
Define  faith.  ^  32G. 

What  is  necessary  to  increase  faith?  ^  327. 

What  does  Jesus  say  to  those  who  are  seeking  after  God 
and  who  are  weary?  ^  327. 

What  is  meant  by  being  weary  and  heavy  laden?  ^  327. 

How  can  one  come  to  the  Father?  Give  Scriptural  proof. 
?  328. 

What  does  Jesus  say  to  the  truth-seeker  concerning  the 
cost?  ^  328. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  consecration?  and  how  may  one 
consecrate  himself  to  the  Lord?  ^  328. 

Is  it  proper  to  compel  consecration  to  the  Lord?  ^  329. 

What  does  Jesus  say  in  reference  to  becoming  his  fol- 
lower? ^  329. 

Define  the  meaning  of  self-denial.  ^  329. 

Why  is  any  one  justified  during  the  age  of  sacrifice?  ^  330. 

In  connection  with  the  tabernacle,  when  the  high  priest 
slew  the  Lord's  goat,  what  did  that  picture?  H  330. 

The  fact  that  the  goat  must  be  without  blemish  fore- 
shadowed what?  H  330. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  term  "justification"?  ^  330. 

When  must  juslincation  for  the  purpose  of  sacrifice  take 
place?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  H  330. 


Mystery  Revealed 


211 


What  assurance  has  one  that  his  consecration  will  be 
accepted?  If  330. 

Must  the  consecration  be  made  before  or  after  the  conse- 
crator  is  presented  to  Jehovah?  If  330, 

Who  is  the  great  Judge  of  the  imi verse?  and  who  justi- 
fies? Give  Scriptural  proof.  ^  331. 

Give  the  steps  essential  to  justification.  If  332. 

Quote  the  scriptures  proving  the  steps  leading  to  justi- 
fication, the  first,  second,  and  third  steps,  in  the  order 
named.  If  332. 

For  wliat  purpose  does  God  justify  any  one  during  the 
period  of  sacrifice?  If  333. 

What  is  meant  by  begetting  one  as  a  new  creature?  If  333. 

What  results  to  the  man  who  is  justified  by  Jehovah? 
If  333. 

What  does  such  a  one  sacrifice?  ^  333. 

To  what  does  Jehovah  beget  this  sacrificer?  ^  333. 

State  tlie  nature  of  Uiis  begetting.  If  333. 

How  many  parties  must  there  be  to  a  contract?  and  what 
is  the  consideration  for  begetting  one  as  a  new  creature 
in  Christ?  If  333. 

State  the  terms  of  the  arrangement  between  Honest  Heart, 
the  one  who  presents  himself  to  the  Lord,  and  Jehovah, 
who  justifies  and  begets  him.  ^  334. 

In  tills  arrangement,  what  ofiice  does  the  Lord  Jesus 
perform?  Tf  334. 

What  is  meant  by  the  word  "advocate"?  ^  334. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  from  both  the  Old  and  the  New 
Testament  that  the  begetting  is  in  the  nature  of  a  con- 
tract. If  335. 

To  what  is  Honest  Heart,  or  any  one  like  him,  begotten? 
If  335. 

Quote  the  scripture  with  reference  to  the  nature  to  which 
he  is  begotten,  f  335. 

Should  the  one  thus  begotten  continue  faithful  unto  death, 
what  is  his  certain  reward?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  ^  335. 

One  thus  begotten  is  how  designated  in  the  Scriptures? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  336. 

What  is  the  great  hope  now  of  the  new  creature  in 
Christ?  ^  336. 

Why  is  it  said  that  he  is  now  dead  as  a  human  being? 
If  337. 


212 


The  Harp  of  God 


As  a  new  creature,  does  he  need  renewing?  and  if  so, 
how  is  this  done?  If  337. 

Wliy  does  not  the  world  know  about  the  development 
of  tlie  new  creature?  H  337. 

How  is  the  new  creature  transformed?  H  337. 

What  does  it  mean  to  be  baptized  into  Christ?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  T[  338. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  water  baptism  or  immersion? 
If  338. 

Is  there  any  virtue  in  water  baptism?  f  338. 

Who  are  the  anointed  ones  in  Christ?  \  339. 

How  did  Aaron  the  high  priest  illustrate  this?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  H  339. 

Whom  did  Aaron  the  high  priest  typify?  H  339. 

What  does  anointing  mean?  ^  339. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  of  how  one  may  know  he  has  been 
begotten  and  anointed  of  the  Lord.  If  340. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  term  "sanctification"  ?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  ^  341. 

When  does  the  process  of  sanctification  begin?  and  how 
long  must  it  continue?  \  341. 

How  is  one  sanctified?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  ^  342. 

What  influence  has  the  hope  of  glory  upon  his  sanctifi- 
cation? If  342. 

Why  does  Jesus  call  the  members  of  his  body  brethren? 
H  342. 

Who  is  the  Father  of  both  Head  and  the  body  of  the 
Christ?  H  342. 

In  what  school  does  this  sanctification  take  place?  H  343. 
Can  any  one  outside  of  the  school  of  Christ  be  sanctified? 
H  343. 

Those  who  are  in  Christ  and  have  the  spirit  of  Christ, 
what  is  the  hope  set  before  them?  344. 

What  promises  are  given  to  them?  ^  344. 

Quote  some  of  those  precious  promises  as  set  forth  in  the 
Scriptures.  ^  344. 

Give  one  of  the  reasons  why  Paul  was  made  a  minister. 
Quote  his  words.  ^  345. 

The  mystery  class  is  known  by  what  other  titles?  and 
what  will  be  the  office  of  the  mystery  class,  the  Christ,  in 
the  future?  1[  345. 

How  will  God  use  this  mystery  class  for  the  benefit  of 
the  people  in  the  future?  If  346. 


CHAPTER  IX 


String  8:    Our  Lord's  Return 

SUPPOSE  your  dearest  friend  and  benefactor  is 
away  on  a  long  journey  and  you  expect  him  to 
return,  because  when  he  went  away  he  promised  to 
come  again;  suppose  that  since  that  time  you  have 
been  looking,  hoping  and  praying  for  his  return,  and 
that  you  were  informed  he  had  arrived.  Such  news 
would  fill  your  very  soul  with  joy  and  you  could  not 
keep  from  singing. 

A  friend  is  one  who  loves  you  all  the  time ;  one 
who  even  without  your  knowing  it  makes  a  great 
sacrifice  in  order  that  you  might  be  the  recipient  of 
some  real  good.  The  greatest  friend  that  you  have 
had,  or  any  one  else  has  had,  is  the  Lord  Jesus,  be- 
cause he  left  all  of  his  riches  and  glory,  became  a 
man,  and  laid  down  his  life  in  ignominious  death  in 
order  that  all  men  might  have  one  fair  and  full  op- 
portunity for  the  blessings  of  life  everlasting. — John 
15:13. 

349  facts  show  that  nineteen  hundred  years  ago, 
Jesus  went  away  on  a  long  journey,  even  into  heaven 
itself;  that  when  he  went  away  he  promised  his  dis- 
ciples that  he  would  return  and  that,  when  return- 
ing, those  who  loved  his  appearing  v/ould  receive 
many  precious  gifts.  If  the  facts  show  that  this  pre- 
cious friend  has  returned  and  we  begin  to  see  that 
aU  the  fond  hopes  of  Christians  are  about  to  be 
realized  and  that  even  the  world  is  soon  to  be  blessed, 

215 


21G 


The  Harp  of  God 


what  unspeakable  joy  this  brings!  Those  who  have 
watched  and  waited  for  his  coming  necessarily  break 
forth  in  singing  the  praises  of  the  Lord.  In  this  chap- 
ter we  hope  to  prove  the  fact  of  the  Lord's  return, 
how  he  would  return,  when,  and  for  what  purpose, 
and  that  he  has  already  come. 

350  J.  centuries  Jews  have  been  hoping,  looking, 
and  praying  for  the  coming  of  a  Messiah.  For  nine- 
teen hundred  years  Christians  have  been  hoping, 
watching,  and  praying,  and  waiting  for  the  coming 
of  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord.  Messiah  and  Christ  mean 
the  same.  The  term  means  The  Anointed  One.  The 
whole  world  of  manldnd,  groping  in  darkness,  laden 
with  grievous  burdens,  has  been  groaning  and  still 
groans  in  pain,  v/aiting  for  some  relief,  but  not  Imow- 
ing  how  it  will  come.  (Romans  8: 19,  22)  The  world 
in  fact  is  waiting  for  the  Messiah,  the  Christ,  and 
his  Iringdom  of  righteousness.  When  the  world  comes 
to  a  Imowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  Lord,  the  great 
deliverer  and  benefactor  of  man,  has  returned,  every 
honest  soul  will  be  filled  with  joy  and  every  grateful 
heart  will  respond  in  songs  of  gladness. 

To  the  Christian  the  Lord 's  return  is  one  of  the 
most  wonderfully  precious  strings  upon  the  harp  of 
God.  It  yields  music  of  unsurpassed  sweetness.  Blessed 
are  the  eyes  of  those  who  see  and  the  ears  of  those 
who  hear  and  learn  that  the  Lord  has  come  and  is 
now  present. 

The  suffering  and  groaning  of  the  whole  creation 
daily  increases,  and  this  condition  is  putting  the  peo- 
ple in  an  attitude  of  mind  to  take  heed  to  the  evi- 
dence of  the  meaning  of  these  present  events.  The 
time  has  come  for  all  to  awaken  and  diligently  in- 
quire concerning  the  presence  of  the  King  of  kings. 


Our  Lord's  Return 


217 


FACT  OF  HIS  COMING 

The  reasons  why  we  should  expect  the  Lord's 
second  coming  are  numerous,  but  unless  we  call  those 
to  mind,  even  though  we  once  knew  them,  we  over- 
look their  importance.  If  we  have  never  known  them, 
then  an  examination  of  these  reasons  is  satisfying  to 
the  hungry  soul.  Reason  should  always  be  em.ployed 
in  the  examination  of  Scriptural  questions.  Sound 
reasoning  and  tlie  Scriptures  are  necessarily  in  accord. 
*'Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the 
Lord."  (Isaiah  1:18)  As  our  vision  of  the  divine 
plan  enlarges,  we  can  see  a  reason  and  a  scripture 
for  every  step  and  every  development  in  the  divine 
arrangement. 

The  scriptures  thus  far  examined  prove  conclu- 
sively that  Jesus  Christ  died  and  was  raised  from  the 
dead  that  he  might  be  the  Redeemer  of  mankind; 
that  he  ascended  on  high  and  presented  the  value  of 
his  human  sacrifice  in  behalf  of  man,  and  that  at 
some  time  all  men  must  have  an  opportunity  to  re- 
ceive the  benefit  of  his  great  sacrifice.  (1  Timothy 
2:5,6)  If  mankind  in  general  is  to  be  benefited  by 
the  Lord's  sacrifice  after  coming  to  a  knowledge  of 
that  fact,  then  it  follows  that  there  must  be  some  re- 
lationship established  between  the  world  of  mankind 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  in  order  that  the  world  might  be 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  arrangement  of  Jeho- 
vah and  brought  back  into  harmony  with  God.  If, 
as  the  Scriptures  declare,  God  formed  the  earth  for 
man's  habitation,  that  he  made  it  not  in  vain,  and 
that  the  earth  abideth  for  ever ;  and  if,  according  to 
the  promise  to  Abraham,  through  the  seed,  the  Christ, 
a  blessing  shall  come  to  all  mankind,  it  follows  that 
the  Lord  must  establish  an  order  of  things  in  the 
earth  that  man  might  enjoy  the  things  which  God 


218 


The  Harp  of  God 


intended  for  him  to  have,  and  that  he  must  be  present 
to  establish  such  a  righteous  order  on  earth. 

But  the  student  is  not  left  to  theorj^  nor  con- 
jecture. The  Scriptural  evidence  is  given  in  such 
abundance  that  all  doubt  is  for  ever  removed.  God's 
prophet  long  ago  foretold  the  coming  of  a  mighty  one 
and  said  that  this  mighty  One  should  have  a  govern- 
ment of  righteousness ;  that  * '  his  name  shall  be  called 
Wonderful  Counsellor,  The  mighty  God,  The  everlast- 
ing Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace;  of  the  increase  of 
his  government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end'\ 
(Isaiah  9:6,7)  An  'everlasting  Father'  presumes 
that  there  shall  be  some  offspring  who  will  have  ever- 
lasting life.  Hence  this  promise  indicated  that  a 
government  would  be  established  wherein  man  would 
be  granted  the  privilege  of  life  everlasting. 

As  we  have  heretofore  observed,  Jehovah  made 
a  covenant  with  the  nation  of  Israel,  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  other  nations.  He  gave  them  a  law  to  shield 
them  from  the  influences  and  machinations  of  the  ad- 
versary and  to  lead  them  to  Christ,  their  great  Messiah. 
The  Jews  as  a  nation  did  not  keep  this  law,  because 
they  were  imperfect;  but  some  of  their  rulers  were 
especially  wicked.  The  time  came  when  God  said  con- 
cerning Zedekiah,  the  last  king  of  Israel :  *'And  thou, 
profane  wicked  prince  of  Israel,  whose  day  is  come, 
when  iniquity  shall  have  an  end,  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God,  Remove  the  diadem,  and  take  off  the  crown; 
this  shall  not  be  the  same :  exalt  him  that  is  low,  and 
abase  him  that  is  high.  I  will  overturn,  overturn, 
overturn  it;  and  it  shall  be  no  more,  until  he  come 
whose  right  it  is;  and  I  will  give  it  him." — Ezekiel 
21 :  25-27. 

It  follows  that  at  some  future  time  there  would 
come  a  mighty  one  who  would  establish  a  kingdom  of 


Our  Lord's  Return 


219 


righteousness,  having  full  authority  and  right  thus 
to  do. 

At  the  overthrow  of  Zedekiah  God  permitted  the 
Gentiles  to  establish  a  universal  dominion  in  the 
earth.  The  Lord  through  the  Prophet  Daniel  pic- 
tured the  development  of  four  world  empires  or  king- 
doms, which  would  exist  for  a  certain  period  of  time, 
and  which  would  continue  until  he  should  come  whose 
right  it  is  and  then  he,  the  Righteous  One,  should 
take  possession  of  earth's  affairs  and  rule.  It  is  to 
be  expected,  of  course,  that  the  unrighteous  govern- 
ments would  hold  on  to  their  power  in  earth  as  long 
as  possible,  and  that  they  would  still  be  thus  doing 
at  the  coming  of  the  great  ICing,  and  that  he  would 
oust  these  earthly  kingdoms  of  unrighteousness  and 
establish  a  righteous  government.  Thus  says  the  Lord 
through  the  Prophet  Daniel:  *'In  the  days  of  these 
kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom, 
which  shall  never  be  destroyed:  and  the  Icingdom 
shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in 
pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall 
stand  for  ever."  (Daniel  2:  44)  It  follows,  then,  that 
this  righteous  King  must  be  present  before  he  breaks 
to  pieces  and  consumes  the  other  kingdoms.  The 
Scriptures  speak  of  the  righteous  kingdom  as  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  because  it  is  in  accord  with  the 
heavenly  Father's  will  and  ruled  by  the  invisible 
power  of  the  great  IMessiah. 

359  rpj^g  term  kingdom  is  used  in  a  twofold  sense, 
as  referring  (1)  to  the  king  or  ruler,  the  dominating 
or  controlling  factor;  and  (2)  to  the  dominion  and 
subjects  of  that  kingdom.  Almost  all  the  parables  of 
Jesus  were  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God,  or  king- 
dom of  heaven.  So  great  is  that  kingdom  in  impor- 
tance in  the  Lord's  arrangement  that  Jesus  taught 


220 


The  Harp  of  God 


his  disciples  to  pray:  ''Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will 
be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven."  (^latthew  6 : 10) 
From  that  time  until  now  Christians  have  been  pray- 
ing this  prayer  and  hoping  for  its  fulfilment.  The 
foregoing  scriptures  definitely  establish  the  fact  that 
such  a  kingdom  of  righteousness  is  to  be  put  into 
operation.  Who,  then,  will  be  the  king  of  that  great 
and  glorious  kingdom?  The  Scriptures  answer,  Jesus 
Christ  the  Son  of  God.— Luke  22:30;  Colossians 
1 : 13  ;  2  Peter  1:11;  Matthew  28 : 18. 

3C0  Jesus  stood  before  Pilate  accused  of  se- 

dition because  he  taught  concerning  his  kingdom  com- 
ing, Pilate  asked  him:  "Art  thou  the  King  of  the 
Jews?"  And  Jesus  answered:  ''My  Idngdom  is  not  of 
this  world."  (John  18:  33,  36)  By  the  word  "world" 
here  is  meant  Satan's  organized  power.  The  Scriptures 
show  that  from  the  time  of  Zedekiah's  overthrow 
until  he  whose  right  it  is  sets  up  his  kingdom,  the 
Gentiles  are  in  power  and  that  these  lie  in  the  ^\icked 
one,  Satan,  who  is  the  god  or  invisible  ruler  of  this 
world.  (2  Corinthians  4:3,4)  Jesus  speaks  of  him 
as  the  prince  of  this  world.  (John  12:31)  Satan's 
rule  has  been  unrighteous,  wicked,  and  devilish ;  and 
when  he  comes  v/hose  right  it  is,  he  will  establish  a 
righteous  kingdom  in  the  place  or  stead  of  the  un- 
righteous order  of  Satan.  By  these  words,  then,  ad- 
dressed to  Pilate,  v/e  would  understand  the  Master 
to  mean  that  his  kingdom  from  that  time  is  future, 
yet  definitely  showing  that  in  the  future  time  he 
would  have  a  kingdom. 

Jesus  gave  to  his  disciples  a  parable  designated 
the  parable  of  the  pounds,  in  which  he  pictured  him- 
self as  a  certain  nobleman  going  into  a  far  country 
to  receive  a  kingdom  and  to  return;  and  he  shows 
that  this  nobleman  does  return.  "He  said  therefore, 


Our  Lord's  Return 


221 


A  certain  nobleman  went  into  a  far  country,  to  re- 
ceive for  himself  a  kingdom,  and  to  return.  And  he 
called  his  ten  ser^^ants,  and  delivered  them  ten 
pounds,  and  said  unto  them.  Occupy  till  I  come.  .  .  . 
And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  he  was  returned,  hav- 
ing received  the  kingdom,  then  he  commanded  these 
servants  to  be  called  unto  him,  to  whom  he  had  given 
the  money."  (Luke  19: 12-15)  A  similar  picture  and 
lesson  is  taught  by  the  parable  of  the  talents.  (Mat- 
thew 25: 14)  As  further  evidence  of  his  return,  Je- 
sus said:  **When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his 
glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him,  then  shall 
he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory:  and  before  him 
shall  be  gathered  all  nations.  "—Matthew  25:31,32. 

Just  a  short  time  before  his  crucifixion  he  was 
teaching  his  disciples.  They  understood,  though  im- 
perfectly, that  he  was  to  be  taken  from  them.  His 
disciples  were  troubled  at  this  information.  Then 
Jesus,  spealdng  plainly  to  them,  said:  **Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled:  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in 
me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  if 
it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare 
a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself; 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  (John 
14:1-3)  This  is  indisputable  proof  of  his  second 
coming. 

After  his  resurrection  he  had  stated  that  he 
would  ascend  unto  God  the  Father  in  heaven.  (John 
20 : 17 )  Forty  days  after  his  resurrection  he  was  with 
his  disciples  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  instructing  them 
to  go  to  Jerusalem  and  there  wait  until  they  should 
receive  the  power  of  the  holy  spirit,  that  they  might 
thereafter  be  witnesses  for  him.  **And  when  he  had 


222 


The  Harp  of  God 


spoken  these  things,  while  they  beheld,  he  was  taken 
up ;  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight.  And 
while  they  looked  stedfastly  toward  heaven,  as  he 
went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white 
apparel;  which  also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why 
stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven?  This  same  Jesus, 
which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so 
come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into 
heaven."  (Acts  1:  9-11)  Without  a  doubt  these  men 
who  here  stood  by  the  disciples  in  white  apparel  v\^ere 
angels  or  messengers  sent  of  the  Lord  thus  to  witness 
to  them,  which  angels  doubtless  materialized  in  hu- 
man form  for  that  very  purpose  and  afterward  de- 
materialized  and  disappeaix^d.  This  additional  testi- 
mony was  given,  however,  that  the  faith  of  the  dis- 
ciples might  be  complete  that  the  Lord  would  come 
again. 

This  fact  was  so  definitely  established  in  the 
minds  of  the  apostles  that  they  often  spoke  and  wrote 
of  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord.  In  fact,  it  is  the 
great  event  to  which  they  and  all  other  true  followers 
of  the  IMaster  have  looked  forward.  (1  Corinthians 
1:7;  15  :  23  ;  1  Thessalonians  2 : 19  ;  2  Thessalonians 
2:8;  James  5:7,8;  2  Peter  1:16;  Acts  3:19-21; 
Philippians  3 :  20)  Of  his  coming  again  and  the  bless- 
ings his  presence  will  bring  to  those  that  love  him, 
further  testimony  was  given  by  the  Apostle  Paul 
when  he  wrote  to  Timothy:  ''I  am  now  ready  to  be 
offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand. 
I  have  fought  the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith :  henceforth  there  is  laid 
up  for  me  a  cro\^Ti  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord, 
the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day:  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  his 
appearing. ' ' — 2  Timothy  4 :  6-8. 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


223 


The  book  of  Revelation  in  our  Bible  is  the  reve- 
lation of  Jesus  Christ  which  he  gave  after  his  glori- 
fication. He  concludes  this  revelation  by  stating  to 
J ohn :  * '  He  wMch  testifieth  these  things  saith,  Surely 
I  come  quickly*';  to  which  John  replies,  ''Even  so, 
come,  Lord  Jesus. ' ' — Eevelation  22 :  20. 

Tliat  the  Lord  is  to  have  a  kingdom  of  righteous- 
ness, that  Jesus  Christ  is  to  be  the  great  King  of  that 
kingdom,  and  that  he  is  coming  a  second  time  for  the 
purpose  of  thus  reigning,  is  so  abundantly  established 
by  the  Scriptures  that  all  possible  doubt  is  removed. 
An  important  question,  therefore,  for  us  to  determine  is 

HOW  HE  COMES 

367  m^^st  mal^e  up  our  minds  at  once  that  the 
Bible  testimony  concerning  the  manner  of  our  Lord's 
coming  is  to  be  taken  as  conclusive.  A  careful  exami- 
nation of  this  will  disclose  the  fact  that  the  Bible  does 
establish  definitely  and  reasonably  the  manner  of  his 
appearing.  Many  have  supposed  and  yet  suppose  that 
the  Lord  will  come  again  in  his  body  of  humiliation, 
the  very  body  in  which  he  was  crucified  and  which 
has  the  marks  upon  it,  and  that  such  is  to  be  visible 
to  human  eyes.  The  words  of  Jesus  disprove  this  con- 
clusion. When  instructing  his  disciples  just  before 
his  crucifixion,  Jesus  said:  ''Yet  a  little  while,  and 
the  world  seeth  me  no  more ;  but  ye  see  me :  because 
I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  (John  14:19)  Thus  he 
establishes  the  fact  that  his  faithful  disciples  will 
see  him  as  he  is,  but  that  the  world  will  see  him  no 
more.  And  why  is  this  true?  Y7e  ansv/er,  Because 
Jesus  was  raised  from  the  dead  not  a  human  but  a 
spirit  being,  with  divine  nature  or  organism.  Tlie 
nature  is  determined  by  the  organism  or  body.  He 
now  has  a  glorious  body,  which  no  man  hath,  seen 


224 


The  Harp  of  God 


nor  can  look  upon  and  live.  (1  Timolliv  6:15,  16) 
We  have  heretofore  examined  the  Scriptural  evidence 
shovnng  that  no  one  of  the  different  organisms  or 
bodies  in  which  Jerros  appeared  to  his  disciples  after 
his  resurrection  was  his  glorious  body,  but  that  such 
bodies  were  created  by  him  for  the  purpose  at  the 
time. 

He  was  put  to  death  a  human  being.  He  was 
raised  from  the  dead  a  spirit.  (1  Peter  3:18;  1  Co- 
rinthians 15:45)  John  definitely  shows  that  the 
body  in  which  Jesus  vrill  appear  is  not  his  human 
body,  because  he  says:  "It  doth  not  yet  appear  what 
we  shall  be:  but  ...  we  shall  be  like  him,''  (1  John 
3:2)  Jesus  is  no  longer  human,  but  divine ;  therefore 
we  could  not  expect  human  eyes  to  see  him.  He  is 
now  the  express  image  of  Jehovah.  (Hebrews  1:3) 
Because  he  is  no  longer  human  and  has  not  a  body 
of  flesh,  but  a  spirit  body,  the  Apostle  Paul  under 
inspiration  wrote:  Though  vre  have  known  Christ 
after  the  flesh,  yet  now  henceforth  know  we  him  [so] 
no  more.'' — 2  Corinthians  5: 16. 

After  his  resurrection  Jesus  was  exalted  and 
given  a  name  above  every  name  (Philippians  2:9) 
and  sat  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father  in 
glory  and  in  power.  (Revelation  3:21)  Of  him  the 
Apostle  Paul  writes:  ''Now  the  Lord  is  that  Spirit." 
(2  Corinthians  3: 17)  Jesus  explained  to  Nicodemus 
concerning  a  spirit,  sa^-ing,  Except  a  man  be  born 
of  water  and  of  the  s-pirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God.  That  which  is  bom  of  the  fle.sh  is 
flesh;  and  that  which  is  bom  of  the  spirit  is  spirit. 
.  .  .  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou 
hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence 
it  corneth,  and  whither  it  goeth:  so  is  every  one  that 
is  bom  of  the  spirit." — John  3 :  4-8. 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


225 


Seeing,  then,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a  glorious 
spirit  being  with  a  divine  organism,  and  that  as  the 
wind  can  not  be  seen,  but  comes  and  goes,  so  a  spirit 
can  thus  come  and  go  without  being  discerned  by 
human  eyes,  could  not  our  Lord  be  present  and  yet 
not  observable  by  any  natural  eyes?  That  is  exactly 
according  to  the  facts.  Satan  is  a  spirit  being.  For 
many  centuries  Satan  has  been  the  god  or  invisible 
ruler  of  the  present  evil  world  (2  Corinthians  4: 
3,  4)  ;  yet  no  human  eyes  have  seen  Satan,  although 
men  have  felt  his  influence  and  still  feel  it.  Satan 
is  not  only  the  god  of  this  world,  but  he  is  the  chief 
one  of  his  wicked  organization,  which  is  invisible  and 
which  is  called  heaven'*,  being  composed  of  Satan 
and  the  other  fallen  angels  who  exercise  power  over 
human  beings.  The  Apostle  Peter  said :  *  *  We,  accord- 
ing to  his  promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth,  wherein  dv/elleth  righteousness.'*  (2  Peter 
3:13;  Revelation  21:1-5)  The  coming  kingdom  of 
the  Lord  is  the  new  heavenly  kingdom.  This  new 
ruling  power,  the  Messiah,  is  invisible,  and  will  be 
invisible  to  human  eyes,  but  will  establish  in  the  earth 
visible  agencies  and  representatives  of  his  govern- 
ment of  righteousness.  "We  should  not,  therefore,  ex- 
pect the  Lord's  second  coming  to  be  in  a  body  visible 
to  human  eyes,  but  should  expect  that  he  would  be 
present,  exercising  his  power  in  his  own  sovereign  way. 

In  many  places  in  our  Bible  referring  to  the 
second  coming  of  the  Lord  the  word  translated  into 
the  English  as  ''coming"  is  properly  translated 
presence.  The  proper  meaning  is  distinguished  by  the 
Greek  word  used,  from  which  the  English  is  trans- 
lated. The  Greek  word  parousia  (pronounced  par-oo- 
see-ah)  means  presence,  and  refers  to  the  invisible 
presence  of  the  Lord  and  is  used  in  the  following 


226 


The  Harp  of  God 


Scripttiral  texts.  We  here  quote  the  texts  as  they 
appear  in  the  King  James  Version,  putting  in  brack- 
ets the  proper  word  immediately  following  the  word 
* '  coming ' 

^''^"YHwit  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming  [pres- 
ence] ?' '—Matthew  24:3. 

^^^'*As  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also  the 
coming  [presence]  of  the  Son  of  man  be." — ^]\'Iatthew 
24:37,  39. 

374  <<rn],gy  that  arc  Christ's,  at  his  coming  [pres- 
ence]."—! Corinthians  15:23. 

375  ««^PQ  not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  at  his  coming  [presence]?" — 1  Thessa- 
lonians  2:19. 

376  ( ( ^i-^Q  Qj^^  -j^Q  ^r^j  stablisli  your  hearts  un- 
blameable  in  holiness  before  God,  even  our  Father, 
at  the  coming  [presence]  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
— 1  Thcssalonians  3 : 13. 

377  '^^Ye  which  are  alive,  and  remain  unto  the  com- 
ing [presence]  of  the  Lord,  shall  not  prevent  them 
which  are  asleep." — 1  Thessalonians  4: 15. 

37S  <  <  J  pj,^y  yQ^^j,  whole  spirit  and  soul  and 
body  be  preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  [pres- 
ence] of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." — 1  Tliess.  5:23. 

379  ''Now  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  coming 
[presence]  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." — 2  Thess.  2: 1. 

380  <<gQ  patient  therefore,  brethren,  unto  the  com- 
ing [presence]  of  the  Lord." — James  5:7. 

381  "-pQY  the  coming  [presence]  of  the  Lord  draweth 
nigh. ' ' — James  5 :  8. 

''Where  is  the  promise  of  his  coming  [pres- 
ence] r'— 2  Peter  3:4. 

383  ^Yhen  Jesus  was  taken  up  into  heaven,  the 
angels  standing  by  the  disciples  said  to  them:  'He 
shall  come  in  like  manner.'  The  manner  of  his  going 


Our  Lord's  Return 


227 


or  being  taken  away  was  quiet,  without  observation^ 
except  by  a  few.  In  a  similar  manner  we  should  ex- 
pect his  return.  Those  watching  for  his  coming 
necessarily  v/ould  be  the  first  to  observe  his  presence. 
This  is  in  exact  harmony  with  the  thought  expressed 
by  the  Apostle  Paul  when  he  wrote :  * '  For  yourselves 
know  perfectly  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  so 
cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night.''  (1  Thessalonians 
5:2)  The  same  thought  the  Apostle  Peter  expressed: 
*'The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the 
night."  (2  Peter  3:10)  And  of  his  coming  Jesus 
said:  ^'Behold,  I  come  as  a  thief."  *^If  therefore 
thou  shalt  not  v/atch,  I  will  come  on  thee  as  a  thief 
and  thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come  upon 
thee."  (Revelation  16:15;  3:3;  Matthew  24:43) 
A  thief  comes  usually  in  the  night  time  when  all  are 
asleep,  and  none  see  him  except  those  who  are  watch- 
ing or  those  who  may  be  awakened  by  his  presence. 
Even  so  the  Lord  comes  in  the  night-time  of  the  end 
of  the  world,  just  before  the  dawn  of  the  new  day; 
and  none  discern  his  presence  except  those  who  watch 
and  who  have  the  eye  of  faith. 

384  rpj^Q  Lord  spoke  in  symbolic  phrase,  and  speak- 
ing concerning  the  manner  of  his  appearing  he  said: 
^'Behold,  I  have  told  you  before.  Wherefore  if  they 
shall  say  unto  you.  Behold,  he  is  in  the  desert;  go 
not  forth :  behold,  he  is  in  the  secret  chambers ;  be- 
lieve it  not."  (Matthew  24 :  25,  26)  Here  he  is  warn- 
ing and  safeguarding  against  the  error  of  believing 
that  he  will  appear  in  the  desert  or  that  he  will  ap- 
pear in  some  secret  chamber,  as  spiritists  claim  they 
have  come  in  contact  with  him.  Then  he  says:  ''For 
as  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  shineth 
even  unto  the  west;  so  shall  also  the  coming  [pres- 
ence] of  the  Son  of  man  be."  (Matthew  24:  27)  The 


228 


The  Harp  of  God 


word  "lightning"  here  is  translated  from  the  Greek 
word  astrapee  and  means  bright  shining,  or  bright 
shiner.  We  Imow  that  lightning  does  not  come  out  of 
the  east  and  shine  even  unto  the  west,  because  flashes 
of  lightning  come  from  all  directions,  and  more  often 
from  the  west  than  from  the  east.  The  bright  shining 
or  bright  shiner  here  really  means  the  sun.  The  sun 
begins  to  shed  forth  its  light  in  the  east  before  it  is 
fully  up ;  and  when  it  comes  over  the  eastern  horizon 
it  shines  everywhere  from  the  east  to  the  west.  Just 
so  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  He  quietly  appears  and 
his  presence  begins  to  shed  light  in  all  parts  of  the 
earth. 

The  prophet  of  the  Lord  also  used  the  sun  to 
illustrate  the  Lord  Jesus,  saying :  ' '  The  Sun  of  right- 
eousness shall  arise  with  healing  in  his  wings." 
(Malachi  4:2)  Again  Jesus  likened  his  faithful  fol- 
lowers unto  the  sun  when  he  said:  "Then  shall  the 
righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of 
their  Father.  "—Matthew  13:43. 

In  examining  the  evidence,  then,  with  reference 
to  the  Lord's  second  appearing,  if  we  will  keep  al- 
ways in  mind  that  his  appearance  is  not,  and  will  not 
be,  visible  to  human  eyes,  but  that  it  will  be  gradually 
discernible  in  the  physical  facts  which  will  occur  in 
fulfilment  of  prophecy,  we  shall  be  better  enabled  to 
understand  the  various  Scriptural  texts  bearinpr  upon 
the  subject. 

TIME  OF  HIS  COMING 

The  time  of  the  Lord's  second  appearing  is  of 
great  importance  to  all,  and  Christians,  since  the  days 
of  the  apostles,  have  been  watching  for  some  evidence 
of  his  presence  and  asking  the  question,  When  will 
the  Lord  appear  ?  While  those  who  love  the  Lord  dis- 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


229 


cuss  the  important  question,  some  have  answered  say- 
ing, 'The  Lord  is  likely  to  come  any  moment.  He 
may  come  tonight.*  These  expect  the  Lord's  appear- 
ing in  a  visible  body.  Others,  who  have  no  real  de- 
sire for  his  coming,  because  it  would  interfere  with 
their  selfish  plans,  say :  '  He  will  not  come  in  my  time ; 
he  will  not  come  for  fifty  thousand  years  or  more; 
hence  there  is  no  reason  for  our  concerning  ourselves 
about  his  coming.'  Still  others,  who  fear  his  coming 
and  who  do  not  desire  to  see  him,  say:  *No  one  can 
possibly  know  the  time.  Why,  therefore,  should  one 
spend  his  time  in  discussing  the  question  ? ' 

S88  rpj^g  last-named  class,  in  support  of  their  con- 
tention, cite  the  words  of  Jesus  when  he  said:  ''But 
of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the 
angels  of  heaven,  but  my  Father  only."  (Matthew 
24:36)  It  is  assumed,  because  he  used  these  words, 
that  no  one  would  ever  know,  except  Jehovah.  We 
should  remember  that  Jesus  spoke  those  words  while 
he  was  yet  a  man  on  the  earth.  He  had  not  been 
glorified  then.  He  did  not  say  that  no  one  would 
ever  know  of  the  hour  or  the  day  of  his  coming.  If 
we  conclude  from  these  words  that  no  man  vrould 
ever  know,  we  might  as  well  conclude  that  Jesus 
would  never  know,  because  he  said  at  that  time  that 
only  the  Father  knew.  Paraphrasing  his  words  we 
note  he  said  this :  '  The  day  of  my  coming  no  one  now 
knows,  except  my  Father.  Neither  man  nor  angel 
knows  anything  about  it;  nor  do  even  I  know.'  At 
the  same  time,  his  words  implied  that  conditions 
would  change,  so  that  others  would  know,  because  he 
said:  "Watch  therefore;  for  ye  know  not  what  hour 
your  Lord  doth  come.''  (Matthew  24:  42)  Wliy  watch 
unless  they  would  know  when  the  time  would  arrive  ? 
When  Jesus  was  raised  from  the  dead  he  said:  "All 


250 


The  Harp  of  God 


power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth. ' '  (Matt. 
28 : 18)  He  must  have  known  then  the  time  of  his 
coming,  because  now  as  the  creature  divine  every- 
thing was  committed  into  his  hands  for  the  outwork- 
ing of  God's  plan.  At  the  time  of  his  appearing  sure- 
ly the  angels  of  heaven  would  laiow  about  it ;  and  the 
day  must  come  when  the  watchers  would  know. 

His  last  message  to  the  disciples  just  before  his 
ascension  on  high  clearly  indicated  a  time  coming- 
when  the  watchers  would  know.  He  said  unto  them : 
*^It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  or  the  seasons, 
which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power.  But 
ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the  holy  spirit  is 
come  upon  you."  (Acts  1:7^8)  Those  who  are  be- 
gotten of  the  holy  spirit  have  the  promise  that  th© 
Lord  will  reveal  to  them  his  great  truths  when  due 
to  be  understood.  (1  Corinthians  2:9,10)  These  are 
they  that  walk  in  the  light,  and  for  them  the  light 
shines  \vith  increasing  brilliancy  unto  the  perfect  day. 
In  harmony  mth  this,  Paul  wrote;  ''Of  the  tim^es 
and  the  seasons,  brethren,  ye  have  no  need  that  I 
write  unto  you.  For  yourselves  know  perfectly  that 
the  day  of  the  Lord  so  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night. 
For  when  they  shall  say,  Peace  and  safety;  then 
sudden  destruction  cometh  upon  them,  as  travail  up- 
on a  woman  with  child;  and  they  shall  not  escape. 
But  ye,  brethren,  are  not  in  darkness,  that  that  day 
should  overtake  you  as  a  thief."  (1  Thessaionians 
5:1-4)  Plainly  the  apostle  here  tells  the  followers  of 
Jesus  that  if  they  are  watching  the  things  which  the 
Lord  told  them  to  watch,  the  day  of  the  Lord  will 
not  come  upon  them  unawares,  but  they  will  m.ark  the 
fulfilment  of  prophecy^  and  in  the  light  of  its  ful- 
filment they  will  discern  the  time  of  the  presence  of 
the  great  King.  Furtherniore  he  says  to  them:  *'Ye 


Our  Lord^s  Return 


231 


are  all  the  children  of  light,  and  the  children  of  the 
day :  we  are  not  of  the  night,  nor  of  darkness.  There- 
fore let  ns  not  sleep,  as  do  others ;  but  let  ns  watch  and 
be  sober." — 1  Thessalonians  5:5,  6. 

"We  shall  find  that  Jesus  gave  much  evidence 
which  enables  the  watcher  to  determine  the  Lord's 
presence.  Jesus  spoke  in  prophetic  language.  Proph- 
ecy means  a  foretelling  of  future  events  before  they 
take  place ;  and  when  they  are  taking  place  the  v/atch- 
er  can  ascertain  that  they  are  thus  fulfilling  the 
prophetic  words  previously  spoken. 

Jesus  gave  us  the  positive  evidence  as  to  when 
to  expect  him.  He  gave  a  parable  of  the  wheat  and 
the  tares,  saying,  * '  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened 
unto  a  man  which  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field:  but 
while  m.en  slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares 
among  the  wheat,  and  went  his  way.  But  when  the 
blade  was  sprung  up,  and  brought  forth  fruit,  then 
appeared  the  tares  also.  So  the  servants  of  the  house- 
holder came  and  said  unto  him,  Sir,  didst  not  thou 
sow  good  seed  in  thy  field?  from  whence  then  hath  it 
tares?  He  said  unto  them.  An  enemy  hath  done  this. 
The  servants  said  unto  him.  Wilt  thou  then  that  we 
go  and  gather  them  up  ?  But  he  said.  Nay ;  lest  while 
ye  gather  up  the  tares,  ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with 
them.  Let  both  grow  together  until  the  harvest:  and 
in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the  reapers, 
Gather  ye  together  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in 
bundles  to  burn  them :  but  gather  the  wheat  into  my 
bam. ''—Matthew  13 :  24-30. 

Interpreting  his  own  parable,  Jesus  said  that  he 
was  the  man  who  had  sown  the  good  seed;  that  the 
field  is  the  world ;  and  that  the  good  seed  are  the  chil- 
dren of  the  kingdom,  and  that  the  tares  are  the  chil- 
dren of  the  wicked  one;  that  the  enemy;  who  sowed 


232 


The  Harp  of  God 


them  is  the  Devil ;  and  that  the  harvest  is  the  end  of 
the  world.— Matthew  13 :  37-39. 

From  this  statement  of  the  Master  it  is  clearly 
shovvTi  that  at  the  end  of  the  age  or  world  there  must 
be  a  harvest ;  that  J esus  Christ  must  be  present  as 
the  Master  of  that  harvest,  and  that  the  hai'vest  v/ill 
consist  of  gathering  together  the  true  followers  of 
Christ  in  one  body  and  of  binding  together  the 
counterfeit  or  tare  class  for  destruction.  Stated  in 
other  phrase,  there  will  be  a  gathering  of  the  true 
vine  class,  true  Christians,  and  the  harvesting  of  the 
vine  of  the  earth,  namely,  the  nominal  Babylonish 
systems  of  the  world.  Since  the  Master  himself  stated 
that  he  would  come  at  this  time  to  receive  his  own, 
the  truly  consecrated  Christians,  to  himself,  and  that 
he,  as  the  Master  of  the  harvest,  would  direct  what 
should  be  done,  it  follows  that  he  must  be  present 
before  the  beginning  of  the  harvest  and  during  the 
time  of  the  harvest.  It  would  also  follow  that  he 
would  be  present  before  the  end  of  the  world  or  age. 

Jehovah  caused  the  Prophet  Daniel  to  v/rite  the 
salient  features  of  events  that  would  come  to  pass 
during  the  rule  of  the  world  powers  that  would  be  in 
existence  from  the  time  of  the  empire  of  Persia  until 
'Hlie  time  of  the  end".  That  which  Daniel  wrote 
was  prophecy;  that  is  to  say,  guided  by  the  divine 
power,  he  recorded  long  in  advance  the  happening 
of  certain  events,  which  of  itself  shows  that  this 
prophecy  could  not  be  understood  until  the  events 
had  transpired.  Daniel  wrote  concerning  these  events, 
but  did  not  understand  them.  They  are  set  forth  in 
his  prophetic  utterances  recorded  in  the  book  of 
Daniel,  chapters  7  to  12,  inclusive.  Daniel  himself 
said:  "I  heard,  but  I  understood  not;  then  said  I, 
0  my  Lord,  what  shall  be  the  end  of  these  things? 


Our  Lord's  Return 


233 


And  lie  said,  Go  thy  way,  Daniel ;  for  the  words  are 
closed  up  and  sealed  till  the  time  of  the  end.  Many 
shall  be  purified,  and  made  white,  and  tried ;  but  the 
wicked  shall  do  wickedly:  and  none  of  the  wicked 
shall  understand;  but  the  wise  shall  understand. ' ' 
(Daniel  12:8-10)  The  Lord  had  caused  Daniel  to 
record  specifically  what  would  happen  when  the  time 
of  the  end  should  begin.  The  *'time  of  the  end" 
means  a  specific  period  at  the  end  of  Gentile  dominion. 
**And  at  the  time  of  the  end  shall  the  king  of  the 
south  push  at  him:  and  tlie  king  of  the  north  shall 
come  against  him  like  a  whirlwind,  with  chariots,  and 
with  horsemen,  and  with  many  ships;  and  he  shall 
enter  into  the  countries,  and  shall  overflow  and  pass 
over.  He  shall  enter  also  into  the  glorious  land,  and 
many  countries  shall  be  overthrovm. ' ' — Daniel  11: 
40,  41. 

395  rpj^g  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  fixes  the  begin- 
ning of  the  ''time  of  the  end",  because  the  prophecy 
definitely  so  states.  The  campaign  of  the  great  war- 
rior Napoleon  Bonaparte  is  clearly  a  fulfilment  of 
this  prophecy,  as  reference  to  the  historical  facts  con- 
cerning his  campaign  plainly  show.  The  ''king  of  the 
south"  mentioned  in  the  prophecy  refers  to  Egypt; 
the  "king  of  the  north"  means  Great  Britain,  which 
was  then  an  integral  part  of  the  Roman  empire. 
Napoleon  was  in  Egypt  fighting  the  Egyptian  armies, 
which  were  led  by  Murat  Bey,  and  which  he  de- 
feated. His  victory  struck  terror  not  only  to  the 
Egyptians,  but  far  into  Africa  and  Asia ;  and  all  the 
surrounding  tribes  submitted  to  the  great  conqueror. 
While  he  was  doing  this,  the  British  in  the  north, 
under  the  leadership  of  Lord  Nelson,  were  making  an 
effective  attack  upon  Napoleon's  forces  at  sea.  Napo- 
leon began  this  Egyptian  campaign  in  1798,  finished 


234 


Tlie  Harp  of  God 


it  and  returned  to  France  on  October  1,  1799.  The 
campaign  is  briefly,  yet  graphically,  described  in  the 
prophecy,  verses  40  to  44;  and  being  completed  in 
1799  marks,  according  to  the  prophet's  own  words, 
the  beginning  of  the  ' '  time  of  the  end ' '. 

39G  Yrom  the  time  of  the  overthrow  of  Zedekiah 
(603  B.  C.)  and  the  establisliment  of  the  Gentile  uni- 
versal empire  under  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  organiza- 
tions of  the  world  powers  or  governments  have  been 
designated  in  the  Scriptures  by  God's  prophet  as 
"beasts".  The  Prophet  Daniel  (7:7,  8)  describes  ''a 
fourth  beast,  dreadful  and  terrible".  This  terrible 
beast  was  a  form  of  government  composed  of  three 
elements  or  component  parts,  namely,  professional 
politicians,  great  financiers,  and  ecclesiastical  leaders. 
This  Satanic  organization  became  dreadful  and  terri- 
ble from  the  time  that  these  three  forces  were  united. 
Of  this  unholy  trinity,  we  see  the  Papacy,  the  eccle- 
siastical element,  in  the  saddle,  riding  and  directing 
everything.  The  beginning  of  this  beast  dates  from 
the  overthrow  of  the  Ostrogothic  monarchy,  which 
occurred  in  539  A.  D. 

The  Prophet  Daniel  was  given  a  vision  of  the 
events  follov/ing,  yet  he  did  not  understand  them; 
and  he  says :  I  ' '  looked,  and,  behold,  there  stood  other 
two,  the  one  on  this  side  of  the  bank  of  the  river,  and 
the  other  on  that  side  of  the  banl?:  of  the  river.  And 
one  said  to  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  which  was  upon 
the  waters  of  the  river,  How  long  shall  it  be  to  the 
end  of  these  wonders?  And  I  heard  the  man  clothed 
in  linen,  which  was  upon  the  waters  of  the  river, 
when  he  held  up  his  right  hand  and  his  left  hand 
unto  heaven,  and  sware  by  him  that  liveth  for  ever 
that  it  shall  be  for  a  time,  times,  and  an  half." 
(Daniel  12 :  5-7)  In  Biblical  symbologj'  a  time  meana 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


235 


a  year  of  twelve  months  of  thirty  days  each,  or  360 
days.  Each  day  is  considered  for  a  year,  as  the 
prophet  says:  have  appointed  thee  each  day  for 
a  year."  (Ezekiel  4:6)  Here  are  mentioned,  then, 
three  and  a  half  times  of  360  prophetic  days  each, 
or  a  total  of  1260  prophetic  days,  equal  to  1260  years. 
The  prophet  then  v/as  sho\vn  that  the  1260  years 
would  mark  the  beginning  of  the  time  of  the  end  of 
this  beastly  order.  Twelve  hundred  sixty  years  from 
539  A.  D.  brings  us  to  1799,  another  proof  that  1799 
definitely  marks  the  beginning  of  ^Hhe  time  of  the 
end".  This  also  shows  that  it  is  from  the  date  539 
A.  D.  that  the  other  prophetic  days  of  Daniel  must  be 
counted. 

The  most  important  thing  to  which  all  the 
prophecies  point  and  for  which  the  apostles  looked 
forward  has  been  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord.  It 
is  described  by  the  prophet  as  a  blessed  time.  Daniel 
then  says:  Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth,  and  cometh 
to  the  thousand  three  hundred  and  five  and  thirty 
[1335]  days."  (Daniel  12:12)  The  watchers  here, 
without  question,  are  those  who  were  instructed  by 
the  Lord  to  watch  for  his  return.  This  date,  there- 
fore, when  understood,  would  certainly  fix  the  time 
when  the  Lord  is  due  at  his  second  appearing.  Ap- 
plying the  same  rule,  then,  of  a  day  for  a  year,  1335 
days  after  539  A.  D.  brings  us  to  1874  A.  D.,  at  which 
time,  according  to  Biblical  chronology,  the  Lord's 
second  presence  is  due.  If  this  calculation  is  correct, 
from  that  time  forward  we  ought  to  be  able  to  find 
some  evidences  marking  the  Lord's  presence. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  writing  to  enter  into 
a  detailed  statement  of  Biblical  chronology.  The 
searcher  for  truth  can  find  an  extensive  treatment  of 
this  question  in  Volumes  2  and  3  of  Studies  in  the 


236 


The  Harp  of  God 


Scriptures.  The  purpose  here  is  to  call  attention  to 
certain  important  dates  and  then  see  how  much,  if 
any,  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled  within  these  dates. 
Chronology,  to  some  extent  at  least,  depends  upon 
accurate  calculations  and  there  is  always  some  possi- 
bility of  mistakes.  Fulfilled  prophecy  is  the  record 
of  physical  facts  which  are  actuall}^  existent  and  de- 
finitely fixed.  Physical  facts  do  not  stultify  them- 
selves. They  stand  as  silent  witnesses  whose  testi- 
mony must  be  taken  as  indisputable. 

400  There  are  two  important  dates  here  that  we 
must  not  confuse,  but  clearly  differentiate,  namely, 
the  beginning  of  **the  time  of  the  end"  and  of  *'the 
presence  of  the  Lord".  **The  time  of  the  end"  em- 
braces a  period  from  1799  A.  D.,  as  above  indicated, 
to  the  time  of  the  complete  overthrow  of  Satan's  em- 
pire and  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah.  The  time  of  the  Lord's  second  presence 
dates  from  1874,  as  above  stated.  The  latter  period 
is  vtdthin  the  first  named,  of  course,  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  period  known  as  ''the  time  of  the  end". 

401  rpj^g  understanding  of  the  prophecies  vTith  refer- 
ence to  **the  time  of  the  end"  and  the  Lord's  pres- 
ence was  purposely  concealed  by  Jehovah  until  the 
due  time.  Daniel  desired  to  know  what  would  be  the 
end  of  these  things,  but  God  said  to  him :  ' '  But  thou, 
O  Daniel,  shut  up  the  words,  and  seal  the  book,  even 
to  the  time  of  the  end."  (Daniel  12;  4)  It  is  reason- 
able to  expect  that  Jehovah  would  indicate  something 
by  which  ''the  time  of  the  end"  could  be  discerned 
when  it  arrived.  He  did  not  say  to  Daniel  to  look 
for  some  words  emblazoned  across  the  sky  that  the 
end  had  come,  but  told  him  to  look  for  such  evidences 
as  could  be  seen  and  understood  by  men  familiar  with 
the  prophecies,  and  who  in  the  light  of  the  prophecies 


Our  Lord^s  Return 


237 


sliould  be  watching  for  their  fuh^lment.  He  did  not 
expect  Daniel  to  understand  it  in  his  day,  because 
he  said:  *'Go  thy  way,  Daniel;  for  the  words  are 
closed  up  and  sealed  till  the  time  of  the  end." — 
Daniel  12 :  9. 

402  When  that  time  should  arrive,  what  v/as  to  be 
expected?  Jehovah  ansvrers:  *'Many  shall  run  to  and 
fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased. ' '  (Daniel  12 :  4) 
From  and  shortly  after  1799,  the  date  of  the  begin- 
ning of  "the  time  of  the  end",  we  should  expect  to 
find  an  increase  of  Imowledge,  particularly  with  ref- 
erence to  the  Bible.  Prior  to  that  time  the  people 
had  been  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  Bible.  It  was  the 
practice  of  the  Papacy  to  forbid  any  one  aside  from 
the  clergy  class  to  have  access  to  the  Bible;  in  fact, 
it  was  made  a  crime  under  the  Roman  law,  subjecting 
the  offender  to  hea\^  penalties  for  having  in  posses- 
sion a  copy  of  the  Bible.  In  1799  the  beastly  power 
of  Rome,  predominated  by  the  Papal  system,  received 
a  deadly  wound.  The  people  had  been  taught  to  be- 
lieve in  the  divine  right  of  kings  to  rule  and  the  di- 
vine right  of  the  clergy  to  dominate  the  conscience  of 
the  people.  When  Napoleon  took  the  Pope  a  prisoner 
and  carried  him  away  to  France,  and  wh-en  later  he 
refused  to  permit  the  Pope  to  cro^vn  him  as  king,  but 
put  the  cro^vn  on  him.self  and  treated  the  Papal 
claimed  authority  with  contempt,  this  began  to  open 
the  eyes  of  the  peoples  of  earth,  kings  as  well  as  peo- 
ple, to  the  fact  that  Papacy  did  not  possess  the  divine 
right  it  claimed. 

A  short  time  thereafter  the  first  Bible  societies 
that  ever  existed  w^ere  organized.  The  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society  was  established  in  1803 ;  the 
New  York  Bible  Society,  in  1804;  the  Berlin-Prus- 
sian Bible  Society,  in  1805;  the  Philadelphia  Bible 


238 


The  Harp  of  God 


Society,  in  1808 ;  and  the  American  Bible  Society,  in 
1817.  The  Bible  was  translated  and  published  in 
many  different  languages  and  sold  at  such  low  prices 
that  the  poor  could  have  access  to  it,  and  within  a 
short  time  millions  of  Bibles  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
people.  The  Papal  system  denounced  these  Bible 
societies  as  ''pestiferous  Bible  societies".  The  time 
had  come,  hovrever,  for  an  increase  of  knowledge  and 
the  Lord  was  fulfilling  his  promise  by  putting  it  with- 
in the  reach  of  those  who  were  hungry  for  truth. 
The  people  began  to  learn  that  God  is  no  respecter 
of  persons;  that  kings  and  popes,  priests  and  the 
common  people  alike  must  all  render  their  account 
to  the  Lord  and  not  to  man. 

From  that  time  forward  there  has  been  a  great 
corresponding  increase  of  Imowledge  in  all  the  scienc- 
es ;  and  in  fact,  in  all  lines  of  learning.  The  common 
school,  always  opposed  by  the  Papacy,  has  afforded 
a  means  of  general  education  and  increase  of  Imowl- 
edge for  people  in  all  walks  of  life.  Colleges  and 
universities  have  sprung  up  throughout  the  world. 
"With  the  increase  of  knowledge  on  various  lines  have 
come  the  numerous  inventions  that  man  now  has,  time 
and  labor-saving  machines,  etc. 

Before  1799  the  means  of  transportation  v/ere 
such  that  a  man  could  travel  only  a  short  distance  in 
a  day.  He  must  go  either  by  a  vehicle  drawn  by 
horses  or  oxen,  or  afoot ;  and  when  he  would  cross  the 
sea  he  must  go  in  a  sailboat  that  made  little  progress. 
In  1831  the  first  locomotive  steam  engine  was  in- 
vented. Such  wonderful  progress  has  been  made  in 
this  regard  that  now  one  can  travel  through  almost 
any  part  of  the  earth  at  a  rapid  rate  upon  a  railway 
train.  Later  came  the  electric  engines  and  electric 
motor  cars  and  gas  engines;  and  now  there  is  a  tre- 


Our  Lord's  Return 


239 


mendous  amount  of  travel  in  every  part  of  the  earth. 
It  is  no  ■ancommon  thing  for  one  to  travel  at  the  rate 
of  75  and  100  miles  an  hour ;  and  particularly  is  this 
true  by  means  of  the  flying  machine,  which  is  a  very 
modern  invention. 

406  rpj^^  aforementioned  inventions  are  related  to 
*the  day  of  God's  preparation'  during  Christ's  pres- 
ence.— Nahum  2 : 1-6. 

In  1844  the  telegraph  was  invented,  and  later 
the  telephone.  These  instruments  were  first  used  v/ith 
wires,  and  by  electricity  messages  were  conveyed 
throughout  the  earth ;  but  now  by  later  invention 
wires  are  dispensed  with  and  messages  are  flashed 
through  the  air  by  the  use  of  instruments  all  over 
the  earth. 

408  rpi^-g  gj^Qcj^i  increase  of  knowledge  and  the  tre- 
mendous running  to  and  fro  of  the  people  in  various 
parts  of  the  earth  is  without  question  a  fulfilment  of 
the  prophecy  testifying  as  to  "the  time  of  the  end". 
These  physical  facts  can  not  be  disputed  and  are 
sufficient  to  convince  any  reasonable  mind  that  v/e 
have  been  in  'Hhe  time  of  the  end"  since  1799. 

The  latter  part  of  ''the  time  of  the  end"  Jesus 
designates  as  a  time  of  harvest,  because  he  says :  ''The 
harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world  [age]."  He  stated 
that  he  would  be  present  at  that  time.  From  1874 
forward  is  the  latter  part  of  the  period  of  "the  time 
of  the  end".  From  1874  is  the  time  of  the  Lord's 
second  presence,  as  above  stated.  The  Apostle  Paul, 
enumerating  many  things  done  concerning  Israel, 
states  that  "they  are  written  for  our  admonition, 
upon  whom  the  ends  of  the  world  [ages]  are  come". 
(1  Corinthians  10:11)  It  must  be  presumed,  then, 
that  these  things  would  be  understood  at  "the  time 
of  the  end". 


240 


The  Harp  of  God 


The  laboring  classes  have  always  been  down- 
trodden and  kept  in  subjection  to  the  financial,  ec- 
clesiastical, and  political  princes.  It  was  in  the  year 
1874,  the  date  of  our  Lord's  second  presence,  that  the 
first  labor  organization  in  the  world  was  created. 
From  that  time  forward  there  has  been  a  marvelous 
increase  of  light,  and  the  inventions  and  discoveries 
have  been  too  numerous  for  us  to  mention  all  of  them 
here,  but  mention  is  made  of  some  of  those  that  have 
come  to  light  since  1874,  as  further  evidence  of  the 
Lord's  presence  since  that  date,  as  follows:  Adding 
machines,  aeroplanes,  aluminum,  antiseptic  surgery, 
artificial  dyes,  automatic  couplers,  automobiles,  barbed 
wire,  bicycles,  carborundum,  cash  registers,  celluloid, 
correspondence  schools,  cream  separators.  Darkest 
Africa,  disk  plows.  Divine  Plan  of  the  Ages,  dynamite, 
electric  railways,  electric  welding,  escalators,  fireless 
cookers,  gas  engines,  harvesting  machines,  illuminat- 
ing gas,  induction  motors,  linotypes,  match  machines, 
monotypes,  motion  pictures.  North  Pole,  Panama  Ca- 
nal, pasteurization,  radium,  railway  signals.  Roentgen 
rays,  shoe-sewing  machines,  skyscrapers,  smokeless 
povrder.  South  Pole,  submarines,  subways,  talking  ma- 
chines, telephones,  television,  typewriters,  vacuum 
cleaners,  and  wireless  telegraphy. 


THE  HARVEST 

The  Lord  used  the  natural  harvest  to  illustrate 
the  harvest  of  his  people  at  the  end  of  the  age.  There 
was  a  harvest  of  certain  of  the  Jews  at  the  end  of 
the  Jewish  Age.  (John  4:  35,  36)  There  is  a  parallel 


Our  Lord's  Return 


241 


harvest  period  in  the  Christian  era;  and  since  the 
Lord  used  the  natural  v/heat  harvest  of  Israel  as  a 
picture  of  the  harvest  of  his  people,  it  might  not  be 
out  of  place  here  to  say  that  from  the  time  of  the 
beginning  of  the  Jewish  harvest  until  Pentecost  was 
fifty  days;  and  carrying  out  the  Biblical  rule  of  a 
day  for  a  year,  it  would  not  be  unreasonable  to  con- 
clude that  the  harvest  of  the  Christian  era  would 
cover  a  period  of  fifty  years. 

During  the  period  of  time  since  1874  there  has 
been  a  great  gathering  together  of  Christian  people 
from  different  quarters  of  the  earth,  without  regard 
to  creed  or  denomination.  These  have  come  from  both 
Catholic  and  Protestant  churches  and  outside  of  all 
churches.  They  have  not  sought  members,  but  they 
have  been  dravm  together  for  the  study  of  God's 
Word,  and  they  love  the  Lord  and  love  his  cause  above 
everything  else.  This  seems  to  be  a  fulfilment  of  the 
prophetic  words  written  concerning  the  harvest; 
namely,  "In  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the 
reapers,  .  .  .  Gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn." 
(Matt.  13 :  30)  During  this  period  of  time  these  Chris- 
tians have  gone  throughout  the  earth  proclaiming 
that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand ;  and  now  they 
are  particularly  announcing  to  the  people  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord,  that  his  kingdom  is  at  hand  and 
that  millions  now  living  will  never  die. 

The  Master  gave  a  parable  illustrating  how  the 
Christians  merely  in  name  and  the  true  Christians 
would  grow  side  by  side  throughout  the  Christian 
era.  He  said:  ''Let  both  grow  together  until  the 
hai-vest :  and  in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the 
reapers.  Gather  ye  together  first  the  tares,  and  bind 
them  in  bundles  to  bum  them ;  but  gather  the  wheat 


242 


The  Harp  of  God 


into  my  barn/'  (Matthew  13:30)  During  the  past 
fifty  years  in  particular  there  has  been  a  tendency 
on  the  part  of  denominational  systems  to  get  together 
and  bind  themselves  in  federations  and  other  com- 
pacts. This  tendency  has  now  reached  a  climax,  until 
the  Federation  of  Churches  is  a  common  expression 
which  means  the  uniting  of  the  various  denomina- 
tional systems,  which  teach  everything  except  the 
V/ord  of  the  Lord.  In  these  various  denominational 
systems  are  professional  politicians  and  conscience- 
less profiteers,  who  are  designated  in  Scripture  as  the 
principal  of  the  flock",  and  who  indeed  are  the 
principal  ones  in  the  congregation  because  their  in- 
fluence directs  the  clergyman  or  pastor  in  the  course 
which  he  shall  take.  They  do  not  profess  full  conse- 
cration to  the  Lord ;  but  they  look  upon  the  denomi- 
national church,  as  it  is,  as  an  organization  for  social 
enjoyment  and  political  purposes. 

While  this  work  has  been  going  on,  the  Lord 
has  been  gathering  together  the  truly  consecrated 
Christians  without  regard  to  creed  or  denomination, 
and  he  has  designated  them  as  wheat".  This  great 
work  of  gathering  together  Christian  people  can  be 
designated  in  no  other  way  than  as  a  harvest,  and 
clearly  means  that  which  was  foretold  by  the  Lord 
Jesus.  It  has  never  been  the  purpose  of  these  Chris- 
tians to  assemble  themselves  as  Bible  Students  to  in- 
duce any  one  to  join  them;  in  fact,  they  have  no 
membership  roll.  Their  purpose  is  to  enlighten  men 
and  women  concerning  the  divine  plan,  and  by  this 
means  to  enable  them  to  see  that  God  has  something 
better  for  mankind  than-  the  creeds  of  Christendom 
have  taught.  This  circumstantial  evidence  fulfilling 
prophecy  is  what  constitutes  the  physical  facts,  and 
is  proof  corroborative  of  the  Lord's  presence  since 


Our  Lord's  Return 


243 


1874;  for  this  gathering  work  has  been  in  progress 
particularly  since  that  date. 

415  rpi^g  Scriptures  identify  the  temple  class  as  com- 
posed of  those  consecrated  Christians  who  are  faith- 
ful unto  God.  '*Ye  are  the  temple  of  the  living  God; 
as  God  hath  said,  I  will  dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in 
them ;  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my 
people."  (2  Corinthians  6: 16)  Addressing  the  same 
consecrated  class  the  apostle  says :  * '  For  through  liim 
we  both  have  access  by  one  spirit  unto  the  Father. 
Now  therefore  ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreign- 
ers, but  fellowcitizens  ^vith  the  saints,  and  of  the 
household  of  God ;  and  are  bmlt  upon  the  foundation 
of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself 
being  the  chief  corner  stone;  in  whom  all  the  build- 
ing fitly  framed  together  groweth  unto  an  holy  tem- 
ple in  the  Lord :  in  whom  ye  also  arc  builded  together 
for  an  habitation  of  God  through  the  spirit." — 
Ephesians  2 : 18-22. 

The  Apostle  Peter  refers  to  the  same  ones  as 
living  stones  in  the  temple  of  God:  ''Ye  also,  as  lively 
stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  an  holy  priest- 
hood, to  offer  up  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by 
Jesus  Christ."  (1  Peter  2:5)  Christ  Jesus  is  the 
head  of  the  temple  class,  othervrise  spoken  of  as  the 
house  of  sons.  (Hebrews  3:6)  The  temple  of  God 
is  holy  unto  the  Lord  because  those  who  compose  the 
temple  class  are  devoted  to  him.  ''Know  ye  not  that 
ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  spirit  of  God 
dwelleth  in  you?  If  any  man  defile  the  temple  of 
God,  him  shall  God  destroy;  for  the  temple  of  God 
is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are. ' ' — 1  Cor.  3 : 16, 17. 

These  scriptures  would  warrant  the  conclusion 
that  the  time  of  the  Lord's  exercising  his  power 
against  Satan's  organization  would  be  at  the  end  of 


244 


The  Harp  of  God 


the  Gentile  times.  The  period  of  the  Gentiles  is  2,520 
years  and  ended  in  the  autumn  of  1914.  That  date 
should  mark  the  time  when  Clirist  Jesus  assumed 
his  power  to  reign,  in  fulnlment  of  prophecy.  At  that 
time  he  must  become  active:  ''The  Lord  [Jehovah] 
shall  send  [forth]  the  rod  [sceptre  of  authority]  of 
thy  strength  out  of  Zion  [saying]  :  Rule  thou  in  the 
midst  of  thine  enemies."  (Psalm  110:2)  Jesus  him- 
self testified  that  the  end  of  the  Gentile  times  would 
mark  the  time  for  him  to  begin  the  exercise  of  his 
regal  authority.  Then  the  nations  would  become 
angry  and  a  great  world  war  would  follow. — Reve- 
lation 11 : 17, 18  ;  Matthew  24 :  7,  8. 

418  rpj^g  events  that  came  to  pass  during  the  closing 
days  of  the  Jewish  Age  undoubtedly  find  a  parallel 
in  the  closing  events  of  the  Christian  era.  The  evi- 
dence is  clear  that  the  Lord  Jesus  began  his  ministry 
at  the  time  of  his  first  advent,  in  the  autumn  season. 
Three  and  one-half  years  thereafter,  to  wit,  in  the 
spring  of  33  A.  D.,  Jesus  presented  himself  unto 
Israel  as  her  King  but  was  rejected  by  that  people 
as  King.  At  the  same  time  he  entered  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem  and  began  to  cleanse  it.  (Matthev/21: 1-13) 
About  the  same  time  God,  through  Christ  Jesus, 
formally  cast  off  the  house  of  Israel.— Matt.  23 :  38,  39. 

The  Gentile  times  ended  in  the  autumn  of  1914. 
The  evidence  is  quite  conclusive  that  here  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  obedience  to  God's  command,  stood 
up  and  began  to  exercise  his  power.  (Daniel  12:1; 
Psalm  110:1,2;  Revelation  11:17,18;  Matthew 
24:7,8)  If  we  are  warranted  in  applying  the  rule 
of  the  parallels,  then  we  should  expect  that  the  Lord 
would  come  to  his  temple  three  and  one-half  years 
thereafter,  to  ^vit,  in  the  spring  of  1918.  If  this  is 
true,  then  we  should  expect  also  to  find  some  evidence 


Our  Lord^s  Return 


245 


that  the  Lord  there  began  to  cleanse  the  antitypical 
temple;  and  that  shortly  after  that  nominal  Chris- 
tendom, or  nominal  spiritual  Israel,  would  be  com- 
pletely rejected  by  the  Lord. 

EVIDENCE  EST  PROOF 

420  Evidence  is  that  which  is  submitted  to  ascertain 
and  establish  the  truth  upon  a  question  at  issue  or 
for  determination.  Positive  evidence  is  that  which  is 
given  by  v/itnesses  who  testify  to  things  which  they 
have  seen  and  Imow  to  be  true.  Circumstantial  evi- 
dence is  a  combination  of  harmonious  circumstances 
which  naturally  lead  to  a  certain  result,  as  effect 
from  cause.  Where  things  transpire  in  accordance 
with  God's  fixed  laws,  and  such  facts  we  know  to  be 
true,  these  may  be  said  to  be  physical  facts.  If  God 
has  caused  his  holy  prophets  to  testify  that  certain 
things  would  come  to  pass  at  some  unknown  time, 
and  then  such  events  do  transpire  which  we  see  and 
know  to  be  true,  such  facts  are  properly  called 
physical  facts,  and  such  proof  is  properly  called  cir- 
cumstantial evidence. 

The  reliability  of  positive  evidence  depends 
much  upon  circumstances  which  are  Imown  to  be  true. 
If  therefore  we  find  that  certain  events  have  come  to 
pass  in  our  day  and  that  these  events  are  known  to 
us  and  kno^vn  to  be  true,  and  that  such  events  and 
facts  are  exactly  in  harmony  with  divine  prophecy, 
then  we  may  say,  These  are  physical  facts  which  we 
may  confidently  rely  upon  as  competent  proof  to 
establish  the  question  for  determination.  The  ques- 
tion now  at  issue  and  for  determination  is.  When 
did  the  Lord  come  to  his  temple,  and  what  is  the 
proof  thereof? 


24& 


The  Harp  of  God 


In  tlie  autumn  of  1914  tlie  nations  became 
angry;  the  World  V/ar  came,  followed  quicldy  by 
famine  and  pestilence  and  earthquakes ;  then  occurred 
persecution  of  Christians,  and  other  things  foretold 
by  Jesus  Christ  as  marking  the  end  of  the  world. 
That  was  the  time,  as  shown  by  the  Scriptures,  when 
he  would  take  his  power  and  begin  his  reign.  The 
date  parallels  exactly  with  the  time  when  he  began 
his  ministry  at  his  first  advent.  Then  three  and  one- 
half  years  after  the  autumn  of  1914,  to  wit,  in  the 
spring  of  1918,  there  came  upon  the  consecrated  peo- 
ple of  God  a  great  fiery  trial,  now  well  known  to  all 
Christians.  This  came  exactly  in  harmony  with 
prophecy,  fitting  exactly  the  prophecy  of  Malachi  as 
to  what  would  come  to  pass  when  the  Lord  suddenly 
comes  to  his  temple.  ''And  he  shall  sit  as  a  refiner 
and  purifier  of  silver:  and  he  shall  purify  the  sons 
of  Lcvi.'^'  (Malachi  3:3)  Such  are  the  words  of  the 
prophet.  The  sons  of  Levi  picture  the  household  of 
faith,  that  is  to  say,  those  who  are  really  consecrated 
to  the  Lord  and  spirit-begotten.  In  harmony  with 
this  the  Apostle  Peter  says  that  ''judgment  must  be- 
gin at  the  house  of  God".  (1  Peter  4: 17)  The  real 
purpose  of  this  cleaning  or  refining  is  that  the  ones 
who  are  found  approved,  who  abide  the  fiery  trial, 
should  offer  thereafter  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in 
righteousness.  It  follows  then  that  if  any  of  the  con- 
secrated fail  to  stand  the  test,  thereafter  they  would 
not  bring  to  the  Lord  an  offering  in  righteousness; 
that  is  to  say,,  they  would  not  joyfully  engage  in 
serving  and  praising  the  Lord  in  harmony  with  his 
holy  will. 

The  trial  that  came  upon  the  church  in  the 
spring  of  1918  was  a  very  severe  one.  Some  of  the 
consecrated  were  arrested  and  cast  into  prison.  Some 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


247 


wlio  had  been  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Lord, 
professing  full  consecration,  conspired  with  the  ene- 
my and  betrayed  their  brethren,  even  as  Jesiis  had 
foretold  would  be  done.  (Matthew  24:10)  Others 
became  fearful  and  fled  from  giving  an  open  witness 
to  the  Lord.  Others  formed  themselves  into  com- 
panies claiming  to  be  followers  of  Christ  Jesus,  yet 
refused  to  have  any  further  part  in  the  service  of 
announcing  his  kingdom. 

So  far  as  the  facts  appear  they  conclusively 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  prophecy.  These  facts 
constitute  circumstantial  evidence  or  physical  facts 
which  are  thoroughly  reliable.  These  facts  are  known 
by  Christians  to  be  true,  and  Imown  to  be  in  harmony 
with  the  prophecy;  therefore  they  may  be  talien  as 
competent  and  reliable  evidence  establishing  the  fact 
that  Christ  Jesus  cajne  to  his  temple  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  1918. 

Within  the  period  of  time  from  1875  to  the 
present  there  has  been  a  wide  proclamation  of  the 
truth  concerning  God's  plan  of  salvation.  The  pur- 
pose of  such  proclamation  has  not  been  to  obtain 
joiners  nor  with  a  view  to  converting  the  peoples  of 
the  world.  It  has  been  done  in  obedience  to  God's 
command  and  done  by  those  consecrated  to  him  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  the  people  who  are  seeking 
the  truth  to  have  an  opportunity  of  understanding  it. 
Naturally  this  work  has  brought  together  those  de- 
voted to  the  Lord.  This  is  in  haniiony  with  the  words 
prophetically  uttered  by  Jesus:  *'For  wheresoever 
the  carcase  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be  gathered  to- 
gether." (Matthew  24:  28)  The  carcass  refers  to  the 
spiritual  food  which  the  Lord  has  provided  for  his 
people.  The  eagles  represent  those  who  have  a  keen 
vision  and  a  sharp  appetite  and  who  are  anxious  to 


248 


The  Harp  of  God 


know  the  Lord's  Word  and  feed  upon  it  and  to  do  his 
will.  These  earnest  Christians  therefore  have  gathered 
themselves  together  in  groups  in  various  parts  of  the 
earth  without  regard  to  nationality  or  citizenship  of 
earthly  governments.  They  have  studied  the  Lord's 
Word  and,  grasping  an  understanding  of  it,  have 
been  anxious  to  go  out  and  tell  it  to  others  that  the 
name  of  the  Lord  God  might  be  magnified  and  that 
the  people  might  Imow  of  his  means  of  salvation. 
This  work  is  especially  a  work  to  be  done  by  Chris- 
tians at  the  second  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  as  he 
foretold. 

SCOFFERS 

It  might  be  reasonably  expected  that  the  clergy 
of  various  denominations  would  be  anxious  to  know 
and  anxious  to  tell  the  people  about  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  and  would  therefore  joyfully  receive  any 
news  concerning  his  presence.  We  find  the  facts  to 
be  just  to  the  contrary,  however,  and  we  again  notice 
that  this  is  one  of  the  evidences  given  by  Jesus  him- 
self marking  his  second  presence.  He  said:  *'But  as 
the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also  the  coming  [pres- 
ence] of  the  Son  of  man  be.  For  as  in  the  days  that 
were  before  the  flood,  they  were  eating  and  drinking, 
marrying  and  giving  in  m^arriage,  until  the  day  that 
Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  Imew  not,  until  the 
flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away:  so  shall  also  the 
coming  [presence]  of  the  Son  of  man  be."  (Matthew 
24:  37-39)  Instead  of  these  clergymen  as  a  class  join- 
ing in  the  proclamation,  'Behold  the  Bridegroom!  the 
Lord  has  returned,  the  kingdom  is  at  hand,'  they 
scoff  and  jeer,  and  if  they  say  anything  concerning 
the  Lord's  second  presence,  even  though  they  get  all 
their  information  from  what  Pastor  Kussell  wrote, 


Our  Lord^s  Return 


249 


they  discredit  him  and  mock  and  scoff  at  what  he 
wrote  or  said.  Of  course  the  Lord  forelmew  this  and 
therefore  he  caused  the  apostle  under  inspiration  to 
write:  There  shall  come  in  the  last  days  scoffers, 
walking  after  their  own  lusts,  and  saying,  Where  is 
the  promise  of  his  coming  [presence]  ?  for  since  the 
fathers  fell  asleep,  all  things  continue  as  they  were 
from  the  beginning  of  the  creation. ' ' — 2  Peter  3 :  3, 4. 

END  OP  THE  WORLD 

Jesus  having  taught  his  disciples  concerning  his 
second  coming,  and  having  informed  them  that  the 
world  would  end  at  or  during  that  time,  they  desired 
to  know  how  they  might  be  able  to  ascertain  the  fact 
of  his  presence  and  what  would  be  the  indication  or 
proof  of  it  to  them  or  to  any  one.  He  was  sitting  on 
the  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  when  his  disciples 
came  to  him  privately  and  propounded  the  question; 
*'Tell  us,  ivJien  shall  these  things  be?  and  what  shall 
he  the  sign  [proof  or  indication]  of  thy  coming 
[presence],  and  of  the  end  of  the  world?''  (Matthew 
24 :  3)  The  word  ''world"  as  here  used  does  not  mean 
the  earth.  The  earth  will  never  end  or  pass  away, 
because  "God  himself  that  formed  the  earth  and 
made  it;  he  hath  established  it,  he  created  it  not  in 
vain,  he  formed  it  to  be  inhabited."  (Isaiah  45:18) 
* '  The  earth  abideth  for  ever. ' ' — Ecclesiastes  1 :  4. 

428  rpj^Q  word  "world"  means  the  evil  organization 
of  governments  of  which  Satan  is  the  invisible  ruler. 
From  Adam  to  the  time  of  the  deluge  was  the  first 
world,  v/hich  passed  away  in  a  great  flood,  during 
which  only  Noah  and  his  family,  consisting  in  all  of 
eight  persons,  were  carried  over  from  the  old  to  the 
other  or  new  world,  and  were  saved.  (2  Peter  3:6; 
1  Peter  3 :  20)  There  began  with  Noah  and  his  family 


250 


The  Harp  of  God 


a  new  world,  which  in  the  time  of  the  apostle's  day 
and  before  that  time  had  grown  evil,  and  which  he 
designated  as  *'this  present  evil  world '\  (Galatians 
1:4)  The  apostle  clearly  shows  that  such  evil  world 
must  pass  away  to  make  way  for  the  new  and  right- 
eous kingdom,  which  will  rule  and  govern  and  bless 
the  people. 

It  v/as  during  the  early  part  of  this  world  that 
God  made  promise  to  Abraham  that  through  his  seed 
all  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  Later, 
at  the  death  of  Jacob,  God  organized  the  nation  of 
Israel  or  the  Jews  into  a  nation  and  at  Mount  Sinai 
confirmed  his  covenant  with  them.  Jehovah  dealt 
with  the  nation  of  Israel  exclusive  of  all  other  nations 
for  a  number  of  years.  They  had  many  kings,  some 
good  and  some  bad.  Zedekiah  was  their  last  king, 
and  because  of  his  wickedness  God  said  concerning 
him:  ''Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Because 
ye  have  made  your  iniquity  to  be  remembered,  in 
that  your  transgressions  are  discovered,  so  that  in  all 
your  doings  your  sins  do  appear;  because,  I  say, 
that  ye  are  come  to  remembrance,  ye  shall  be  taken 
with  the  hand.  And  thou,  profane  wicked  prince 
of  Israel,  whose  day  is  come,  when  iniquity  shall  have 
an  end,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Remove  the  diadem, 
and  take  off  the  crown ;  this  shall  not  be  the  same : 
exalt  him  that  is  low,  and  abase  him  that  is  high.  I 
will  overturn,  overturn,  overturn  it;  and  it  shall  be 
no  more,  until  he  come  whose  right  it  is;  and  I  will 
give  it  [to]  him.''— Ezekiel  21:  24-27. 

In  the  year  606  B.  C,  Zedekiah  was  overthrown. 
He  was  talven  a  prisoner,  carried  away  to  Babylon, 
and  Nebuchadnezzar  established  in  the  earth  the  first 
universal  empire  and  the  Gentile  times  dated  from 
that  time  forward.  The  length  of  the  Gentile  times 


Our  Lord's  Return 


251 


is  definitely  fixed  in  the  Scriptures  as  a  period  of 
seven  symbolic  times  of  3G0  yesTs  each,  or  a  total  of 
2.520  years.  This  period  beginning-  'with  the  year 
603  B.  C.  necessarily  raust  end  in  1914  A.  D.  God 
had  declared  that  he  would  OYerturn  the  right  of  the 
descendants  of  Abraliam  to  rule,  thereby  permitting 
the  Gentiles  to  have  an  iminterrupted  sway  until  he 
should  come  whose  riglit  it  is.  The  on-e  whose  right 
i:t  is,  is  the  great  Messiah,  Clirist  Jesus  the  Lord.  It 
would  be  reasonable  ta  expect  him  to  be  .present  some 
time  before  he  vrould  take  luito  himself  his  great 
power  to  reign.  His  presence  beginning  in  1874,  he 
has  carried  on  his  harvest  work  from  1878  forward,, 
but  has  not  inten-upted  the  Gentile  dominion  imtil 
that  dominioi).  should  end.  The  end  of  the  Gentile 
rule,  therefore,  would  mark  necessarily  the  end  of  the 
world.  We  should  expect,  then,  to  find  1914  as  the 
beginning  of  the  end  of  the  old  world  or  Satan's 
organization.  And  that  this  would  take  place  during 
the  presence  of  the  Lord  he  definitely  stated. 

When  the  Gentile  dominion  legally  ends,  that 
organization  being  a  wiclied  one  under  the  super^d- 
sion  of  Satan,  the  god  of  the  evil  world  (2  Corin- 
thians 4:3,4),  and  all  these  nations  lying  in  the 
wicked  one  (1  John  5:19),  it  would  be  expected 
that  the  Gentile  kingdoms  and  nations  would  strive 
to  hold  on  to  their  power.  But  when  the  proper 
time  should  come  it  woidd  also  be  expected  that  the 
Lord,  whose  right  it  is,  would  take  over  the  affairs 
into  his  own  hands.  And  so  he  said:  *'We  give  thee 
thanks,  O  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  art,  and  wast, 
and  art  to  come ;  because  thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy 
great  power,  and  hast  reigned.  And  the  nations  were 
angry,  and  thy  wrath  is  come,  and  the  time  of  the 
dead,  tliat  they  should  be  judged,  and  that  thou 


252 


The  Harp  of  God 


shouldest  give  reward  unto  thy  servants  the  prophets, 
and  to  the  saints,  and  them  that  fear  thy  name,  small 
and  great ;  and  shouldest  destroy  them  which  destroy 
the  earth."— Revelation  11:17,18. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  Lord  does  not  do  all 
of  his  v/ork  in  a  twenty-four-hour  day,  but  that  grad- 
ually he  performs  his  sovereign  will.  Specifically 
answering  the  question  concerning  the  end  of  the 
world  during  the  time  of  his  presence,  Jesus  said: 
Nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom 
against  kingdom:  and  there  shall  be  famines,  and 
pestilences,  and  earthquakes  [literal  and  symbolic, 
revolutions]  in  divers  places.  All  these  are  the  be- 
ginning of  sorrows."  (Matthew  24:  7,  8)  Exactly  on 
time,  at  the  end  of  the  Gentile  dominion,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  end  of  the  world,  nation  rose  against  na- 
tion and  kingdom  against  kingdom  in  the  most  de- 
vastating war  that  man  ever  dreamed  would  come  to 
the  world.  There  followed  in  its  wake  a  great  pesti- 
lence, the  Spanish  influenza,  which  swept  the  earth; 
and  the  famine  is  still  raging  amongst  many  peo- 
ples and  kindreds  of  the  earth ;  and  there  have  been 
revolutions,  as  well  as  many  literal  earthquakes  in 
various  parts  of  the  earth.  And  these,  said  the 
Master,  mark  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the  world, 
which  takes  place  during  the  time  of  his  presence. 
The  evidence  here  is  overwhelming,  proclaiming  his 
presence  and  the  end  of  the  world. 

These  facts  mark  a  corroboration  and  a  clear 
fulfilment  of  the  words  of  Jehovah's  prophet  an- 
nounced centuries  before,  namely:  *'In  the  days  of 
these  Idngs  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  Idngdom 
which  shall  never  be  destroyed:  and  the  kingdom 
shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in 
pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


253 


stand  for  ever."  (Daniel  2:  44)  This  prophecy  must 
have  a  complete  fulfilment  in  the  complete  destruc- 
tion of  every  part  of  Satan's  organization.  Even  now 
nearly  all  the  kings  of  earth  are  gone  and  their  Idng- 
doms  are  broken  in  pieces  and  are  being  consumed. 
This  is  being  done  because  the  Lord  is  present,  be- 
cause the  old  world  has  ended  and  he  is  clearing  away 
the  unrighteous  things  to  make  way  for  his  new  and 
righteous  government. 

Furthermore  Jesus  said  concerning  the  end  of 
the  world  within  the  time  of  his  second  presence: 
''Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afflicted,  and 
shall  kill  you:  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  aU  nations 
for  my  name's  sake."  (Matthew  24:9)  ''But  lake 
heed  to  yourselves:  for  they  shall  deliver  you  up  to 
councils  [courts]  ;  and  in  the  synagogues  ye  shall  be 
beaten;  and  ye  shall  be  brought  before  rulers  and 
kings  for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them." 
(Mark  13:9)  ''But  before  all  these,  they  shall  lay 
their  hands  on  you,  and  persecute  you,  delivering  you 
up  to  the  synagogues,  and  into  prisons,  being  brought 
before  kings  and  rulers  for  my  name's  sake.  And  it 
shall  turn  to  you  for  a  testimony."  (Luke  21 : 12, 13) 
Literally  did  these  scriptures  have  fulfilment  in  the 
years  1917,  1918,  and  1919.  The  World  War  fur- 
nished the  excuse  for  the  v/orld-wide  persecution  of 
humble  and  honest  and  faithful  Christians. 

435  fpjjg  Christian  truly  consecrated  to  the  Lord  be- 
lieves and  follows  the  Lord 's  teachings :  ' '  Thou  shalt 
not  kill."  (Matthew  5:  21)  And  again:  "Though  v^e 
walk  in  the  flesh,  we  do  not  war  after  the  flesh:  (for 
the  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal)."  (2 
Corinthians  10 :  3,  4)  During  the  World  War  many 
of  the  nations  passed  laws  to  govern  conscientious 
objectors,  that  is,  those  who  object  to  taking  human 


254 


The  Harp  of  God 


life.  The  officers  of  the  present  evil  organization 
upon  whom  devolved  the  duty  and  obligation  of  con- 
struing and  enforcing  this  law,  disregarded  it;  and 
at  the  instance  of  an  apostate  and  dishonest  clergy, 
truly  consecrated  Christians,  particularly  those 
known  as  Bible  Students,  were,  in  fulfilment  of  Jesus ' 
utterances,  hated,  beaten,  persecuted,  haled  into  tlie 
courts  and  imprisoned,  and  some  of  them  killed.  But 
the  Lord's  protecting  care  has  been  about  them 
through  it  all. 

In  Germany  th^j  were  persecuted,  some  put  in 
tlie  front  ranlis  of  the  assaulting  army.  One  Chris- 
tian man,  for  instance,  who  refused  to  take  human 
life  because  of  his  faith  in  the  Lord,  was  placed  in 
the  front  line  of  attack  during  a  battle.  A  soldier 
was  placed  on  either  side  of  him  vnih.  gun  and  bay- 
onet and  instructed  to  kill  him  if  he  attempted  to 
escape.  He  went  through  the  battle.  Most  of  his  regi- 
ment was  annihilated,  including  the  two  guards  by 
his  side.  Yv^'hen  the  battle  was  over  this  Christian 
brother  had  not  a  scratch.  Again  he  was  put  in  a 
similar  position ;  and  again  he  went  through  another 
battle  without  injury.  He  was  then  charged  with  be- 
ing insane  because  he  would  not  fight,  and  placed  in 
an  insane  asylum  and  kept  there  for  a  period  of  time, 
until  he  was  turned  out ;  and  then  he  proceeded  with 
proclaiming  the  message  of  the  Lord's  presence  and 
his  glorious  incoming  kingdom. 

437  rpj^g  persecution  in  Great  Britain  of  the  same 
class  of  Christians,  and  in  Canada,  and  in  the  United 
States,  long  boasted  of  as  the  land  of  the  free  and 
the  home  of  the  brave,  was  so  terrible  that  words  are 
inadequate  to  describe  it.  Number  27  of  the  Golden 
Age  magazine,  issued  September  29,  1920,  gives  a  de- 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


255 


tailed  description  of  many  of  these  wicked  persecu- 
tions, which  mark  a  clear  fulfilment  of  these  pro- 
phetic utterances  of  the  Lord.  The  ones  who  had  the 
privilege  of  passing  through  them  and  v/ho  had  the 
many  evidences  of  the  Lord's  blessings,  rejoice  be- 
cause accounted  worthy  to  suffer  as  our  Lord  had 
suftered,  remembering  his  words :  * '  The  servant  is  not 
greater  than  his  lord.  If  they  have  persecuted  me, 
they  will  also  persecute  you. ' ' — John  15 :  20. 

Jesus  furthermore  said :  * '  This  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  wit- 
ness unto  all  nations :  and  then  shall  the  end  come. ' ' 
(Matthew  24: 14)  In  the  year  1919  many  of  the  Bi- 
ble Students  in  different  parts  of  the  earth,  emerging 
from  army  camps  and  prison  dungeons,  rejoicing  in 
their  privileges,  again  assembled  together  and  v/ith 
united  action  v/ent  forth  to  proclaim  the  message  of 
the  presence  of  the  Lord;  and  particularly  the  mes- 
sage, *'The  World  Has  Ended — Millions  Now  Living 
Will  Never  Die,'*  clearly  in  fulfilment  of  the  words 
of  the  Master  in  the  text  last  above  quoted.  Numbers 
of  public  lectures  delivered  upon  this  subject  through- 
out Christendom  have  gladdened  the  hearts  of  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  people,  comforting  those  that 
mourn.  In  1920  this  message  was  put  into  printed 
form  in  the  book  entitled  Millions  Now  Living  V/ill 
Never  Die,  and  in  the  lands  where  the  greatest  perse- 
cution prevailed  against  the  people  of  the  Lord, 
greatest  has  been  the  witness.  Within  eight  months 
2,500,000  copies  of  this  book  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  people;  and  yet  the  message  goes  on, 
giving  a  wider  and  wider  witness,  looking  forward  to 
the  full  consummation  of  **the  time  of  the  end",  the 
end  of  the  old  world  and  the  incoming  of  Messiah's 
kingdom. 


258 


The  Harp  of  God 


REGATHERING  OF  ISRAEL 

Jesus  furthermore  said  that  the  regathering  of 
Israel  to  Palestine  (Luke  21 :  24)  would  be  one  of  the 
most  conclusive  proofs  of  his  presence  and  of  the  end 
of  the  world.  A  full  discussion  of  this  point,  together 
with  many  other  points  concerning  the  end  of  the 
world,  is  set  forth  in  detail  in  the  book  entitled 
Comfort  for  the  Jews,  Therein  is  shown  conclusively 
that  the  prophecies  have  been  fulfilled  exactly  on 
time;  that  Israel  is  now  being  regathered  and  is  re- 
building Palestine  exactly  as  the  Lord  foretold.  Jesus 
said:  ^^And  when  these  things  begin  to  come  to  pass, 
then  look  up,  and  lift  up  your  heads;  for  your  re- 
demption draweth  nigh. ' ' — ^Luke  21 :  28. 

Jesus,  speaking  further  through  his  chosen  ves- 
sels, refers  to  the  harvest  of  the  tare  class,  saying, 
*  *  The  harvest  of  the  earth  is  ripe.  And  he  that  sat  on 
the  cloud  thrust  in  his  siclde  on  the  earth;  and  the 
earth  was  reaped."  ( Revelation  14: 15, 16)  This  gath- 
ering and  the  reaping  of  it  for  destruction  is  now  in 
progress.  It  is  one  feature  of  the  Lord's  work,  which 
proves  his  presence  at  this  time. 

There  are  many  other  corroborative  evidences  of 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  but  space  will  not  permit 
the  examination  of  all  of  them  here.  We  leave  the 
reader  to  find  a  more  detailed  explanation  of  these 
great  corroborative  truths  set  forth  in  Volumes  2  and 
3  of  Studies  in  the  Scriptures. 

**2  Why  should  any  one  deceive  himself  by  being  in- 
duced to  cease  an  investigation  of  this  subject  because 
some  self -constituted  wise  one  will  say:  *You  can 
never  know  when  the  Lord  will  come '  ?  Jesus  himself 
said  to  his  faithful  followers:  ''Watch  therefore;  for 


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257 


ye  know  not  what  hour  your  Lord  doth  come/'  (Mat- 
thew 24:  42)  *'And  what  I  say  unto  you,  I  say  unto 
all,  Watch.''  (Mark  13 :  37)  The  clear  inference  here 
is  that  the  watchers  in  due  time  would  recognize  the 
evidences  of  his  presence,  and  recognizing  these, 
would  rejoice. 

Suppose  we  admit,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument, 
that  no  man  knows  the  day  nor  hour  of  the  Lord's 
appearing.  What  difference  does  that  make?  The 
hour  and  the  day  have  already  passed.  He  is  here! 
And  let  all  truly  consecrated  Christians  rejoice.  *'But 
of  the  times  and  the  seasons,  brethren,  ye  have  no 
need  that  I  write  unto  you,"  says  Paul.  (1  Thessa- 
lonians  5:1)  The  times  and  seasons  are  clearly 
established  by  the  overwhelming  proof  that  the  Lord 
is  now  present.  Therefore,  "ye,  brethren,  are  not  in 
darkness,  ...  ye  are  all  the  children  of  light,  and 
the  children  of  the  day ;  we  are  not  of  the  night,  nor 
of  darkness. ' '  Why  quibble  now  about  dates,  days  or 
hours?  The  physical  facts,  the  fulfilled  prophecy  and 
prophecy  further  in  course  of  fulfilment,  prove  over- 
whelmingly and  beyond  the  shadov/  of  a  doubt  that 
the  Lord  is  present,  that  the  world  has  ended,  that 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand!  And  the  true 
watchers  are  joyfully  exclaiming :  '  *  Behold  the  Bride- 
groom ! "  As  faithful  members  of  his  body,  as  the  feet 
of  him,  they  are  standing  upon  the  mountains,  that 
is,  upon  or  above  the  kingdoms  of  earth,  singing  out 
to  the  peoples  of  Zion:  ^Thy  God  reigneth !  The  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  at  hand ! '  The  prophet  of  the  Lord 
describes  them  thus:  **How  beautiful  upon  the  moun- 
tains are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings, 
that  publisheth  peace;  that  bringeth  good  tidings  of 
good,  that  publisheth  salvation ;  that  saith  unto  Zion, 
Thy  God  reigneth!  Thy  watchmen  shall  lift  up  the 


The  Harp  of  God 


voice ;  with  the  voice  together  shall  they  sing ;  for 
they  shall  see  eye  to  eye,  when  the  Lord  shall  bring 
again  Zion." — Isaiah  52:  7,  8. 

These  are  they  who,  having  the  harps  of  God, 
are  singing  the  song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God  and 
the  song  of  the  Lamb,  harmonizing  the  great  truths 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  the  Mosaic  law  and 
the  gospel  of  Christ  Jesus,  singing:  Great  and 
marvellous  are  thy  works.  Lord  God  Almighty;  just 
and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints.  Who 
shall  not  fear  thee,  0  Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name? 
for  thou  only  art  holy :  for  all  nations  shall  come  and 
worship  before  thee;  for  thy  judgments  are  made 
manifest. ' ' — Revelation  15 :  2-4. 

WHY  THE  LORD  COMES 

445  There  are  three  primary  purposes  or  reasons 
why  the  Lord  appears  the  second  time.  These  are: 
(1)  To  bind  Satan  and  destroy  his  kingdom  and  all 
the  false  systems  inaugurated  by  his  agencies;  (2) 
to  receive  unto  himself  his  bride,  the  church,  which 
includes  tlie  work  of  the  harvest  of  gathering  them 
unto  him;  and  (3)  to  set  up  his  kingdom,  for  which 
he  taught  his  followers  to  pray. 

**^The  purpose  of  our  Lord's  second  coming  has 
been  much  misunderstood  and  misrepresented.  Some 
have  said  that  he  is  coming  to  burn  up  the  earth.  The 
Scriptures  answer  this  charge:  '^The  heaven,  even  the 
heavens,  are  the  Lord's;  but  the  earth  hath  he  given 
to  the  children  of  men."  (Psalm  115: 16)  How  then 
can  we  harmonize  this  statement  of  the  Scriptures 
with  Peter's  words?  **But  the  day  of  the  Lord  will 
come  as  a  thief  in  the  night ;  in  the  which  the  heavens 
shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements 
shall  melt  with  fervent  heat;  the  earth  also,  and  the 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


259 


trorks  that  are  therein  shall  be  burned  up.  .  .  .  The 
heavens,  being  on  fire,  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  ele- 
ments shall  melt  with  fervent  heat. ' ' — 2  Pet.  3 : 10,  12. 

It  is  manifest  that  the  apostle  is  here  using  sym- 
bolic language.  He  states  that  the  Lord  comes  as  a 
thief,  illustrating  how  quietly  and  unobservedly  his 
second  coming  or  appearing  takes  place,  as  we  have 
already  noted.  Then  we  must  conclude  that  the  other 
main  elements  here  mentioned  are  symbolic.  **The 
heavens,''  symbolically,  means  the  invisible  part  of 
Satan's  organization.  *'The  earth"  symbolically  rep- 
resents the  visible  part  of  Satan's  organization.  ''The 
elements"  here  meant  are  the  various  selfish  elements 
of  the  earth,  composed  of  ecclesiasticism,  political  par- 
ties, lodge  systems,  etc.,  that  go  to  make  up  the  various 
elements  of  human  society ;  and  we  can  see  that  these 
are  all  discordant  and  warring  amongst  themselves. 
They  shall  all  be  dissolved  and  shall  melt  with  fervent 
heat ;  that  is  to  say,  during  the  heated  time  of  trouble. 

But  the  apostle  states  in  the  thirteenth  verse  of 
this  chapter:  ''Nevertheless  we,  according  to  his 
promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  where- 
in dwelleth  righteousness";  meaning  thereby  that  we 
look  for  a  new  invisible  power  of  control,  Messiah's 
kingdom,  and  a  new  visible  government,  to  take  the 
place  of  the  old.  The  words  here  have  no  reference  to 
the  mundane  sphere  or  globe  upon  which  the  human 
race  resides. 

The  symbolic  fire  is  now  beginning  to  bum  in  the 
troublesome  time  that  we  see  amongst  the  peoples  and 
nations  of  the  earth;  and  it  will  continue  to  burn 
until  all  the  false  systems  of  Satan's  empire  are  com- 
pletely destroyed.  This  is  a  further  evidence  of  the 


260 


The  Harp  of  God 


Lord's  presence  at  this  time,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
pui7)oses  for  which  he  comes. 

In  speaking  of  the  proof  of  his  presence,  Jesus 
further  stated  that  at  that  time  there  would  be  * '  upon 
the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity ;  the  sea 
[restless  humanity]  and  the  waves  [various  organized 
parts  of  it]  roaring;  men's  hearts  failing  them  for 
fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things  which  are 
coming  on  the  earth:  for  the  powers  of  heaven  shall 
be  shaken.  And  then  shall  they  see  [discern]  the 
Son  of  man  coming  in  a  cloud  with  power  and  great 
glory*';  that  is  to  say,  they  will  discern  the  Lord's 
presence  through  the  ''clouds",  symbolic  of  his  pres- 
ence, and  ''glory",  the  manifestation  of  his  justice 
and  power.  (Luke  21:  25-27)  No  one  will  attempt  to 
gainsay  the  fact  that  just  now,  in  the  year  1928,  all 
the  nations  are  in  distress  and  that  the  people  in  all 
branches  of  business,  socially,  politically  and  other- 
wise, are  in  perplexity  and  know  not  what  to  do. 
And  men  of  earth  who  are  engaged  in  business  affairs 
are  so  fearful  that  their  hearts  are  failing  them,  not 
knowing  which  way  to  turn  nor  what  to  do. 

On  one  hand  v/e  observe  the  employers  who  own 
the  factories  and  the  mills  and  who  employ  the  labor- 
ing element  to  do  the  work,  striving  to  curtail  their 
expenses,  reducing  wages  and  discharging  men,  re- 
sulting in  millions'  being  out  of  employment  with  no 
means  of  earning  a  livelihood  for  themselves  or  fami- 
lies. On  the  other  hand  is  the  laboring  class  of  men, 
who  have  received  their  employment  at  the  hands  of 
the  wealthier,  who  are  distressed  in  mind.  And  be- 
cause of  the  injustices  heaped  upon  them  they  are  be- 
coming more  restless  each  day  and  are  threatening 
to  take  complete  possession  and  control  of  the  fac- 
tories and  mills  and  mines  and  to  operate  these  them- 


Our  Lord's  Return 


261 


selves.  The  political  class,  striving  always  to  do  the 
will  of  the  financial  powers,  are  perplexed  and 
frightened  as  to  what  they  shall  do,  yet  constantly 
acting  in  a  vain  attempt  to  help  their  allies  in  the 
great  beastly  organization ;  while  the  apostate  clergy, 
which  goes  to  make  up  the  third  element  of  the  beast- 
ly organization,  is  trying  to  induce  the  order-loving 
people  to  unite  themselves  with  church  systems  and 
thereby  support  the  employing  class. 

These  various  elements,  selfishly  exercising  what 
power  they  have,  are  going  from  bad  to  worse,  lead- 
ing on  to  a  great  disaster  for  the  unrighteous  systems 
of  earth.  Jesus  points  this  out  as  the  final  and  conclu- 
sive evidence  of  his  presence  and  of  the  end  of  the 
world,  saying :  '  *  Then  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such 
as  was  not  since  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this 
time,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be.  And  except  those  days 
should  be  shortened,  there  should  no  flesh  be  saved: 
but  for  the  elect 's  sake  those  days  shall  be  siiortened. '  * 
(Matthew  24:21,22)  The  Prophet  Daniel  corrob- 
orates the  v/ords  of  the  Master  to  the  eftect  that  in 
this  time  of  trouble  the  great  Messiah  will  manifest 
himself  and  put  into  operation  his  kingdom.  He  says : 
**And  at  that  time  shall  Michael  [God's  representa- 
tive, the  Messiah]  stand  up,  the  great  prince  which 
standeth  for  the  children  of  thy  people;  and  there 
shall  be  a  time  of  trouble,  such  as  never  v/as  since 
there  was  a  nation  even  to  that  same  time:  and  at 
that  time  thy  people  shall  be  delivered,  every  one  that 
shall  be  found  written  in  the  book. ' ' — Daniel  12 : 1. 

453  n^Yie  world  is  madly  rushing  on  now  to  this  time 
of  trouble.  It  is  the  time  spoken  of  by  the  Prophet 
Haggai,  who  says:  ^*And  I  will  shake  all  nations,  and 
the  desire  of  all  nations  shall  come :  and  I  will  fill  this 
house  with  glory,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts/*  (Haggai 


262 


The  Harp  of  God 


2:7)  And  when  this  great  shaking  is  over,  then  the 
desire  of  all  nations  and  peoples  will  come,  namely,  an 
honest,  righteous  government,  administered  in  behalf 
of  mankind  under  the  supervision  of  the  great  Mes- 
siah. The  Apostle  Paul  refers  to  this  time  as  a  time 
of  great  shaking,  which  immediately  precedes  the  full 
establishment  of  the  Messianic  kingdom.  (Hebrews 
12:18-28)  The  Lord  by  his  presence  is  bringing  to 
light  every  hidden  thing.  The  apostle  foretold  it 
would  be  thus,  saying:  Therefore  judge  nothing  be- 
fore the  time,  until  the  Lord  come,  who  both  will 
bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness,  and  ^vill 
make  manifest  the  counsels  of  the  hearts. ' ' — 1  Corin- 
thians 4 :  5. 

Thus  the  Lord  is  letting  the  light  of  truth  shine 
out,  and  by  the  truth  is  exposing  Satan,  which  means 
the  great  adversary,  the  Devil,  and  his  various  agen- 
cies and  influences  in  the  earth.  And  this  is  further 
evidence  of  the  Lord  's  presence.  Hence  Satan  is  now 
gathering  his  forces  for  the  final  battle,  in  which  his 
power  will  be  destroyed.  Jesus  in  his  revelation  to 
John  caused  to  be  written  these  words:  **And  I  saw 
an  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  having  the  key  of 
the  bottomless  pit  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand.  And 
he  laid  hold  on  the  dragon,  that  old  serpent,  which  is 
the  Devil,  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  a  thousand  years, 
and  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him  up, 
and  set  a  seal  upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive  the 
nations  no  more,  till  the  thousand  years  should  be  ful- 
filled: and  after  that  he  must  be  loosed  a  little 
season."  (Revelation  20:1-3)  This  is  the  time  that 
Jesus  foretold  when  the  nations  shall  be  as  vessels 
of  a  potter  ,  .  .  broken  to  shivers".  (Revelation 
2:  27)  Satan  soon  shall  be  restrained  and  his  empire 
completely  and  for  ever  destroyed.  (Isaiah  34:1-4; 


Our  Lord's  Return 


2€3 


51:  6)  Thus  shall  the  Lord  be  revealed  to  the  world, 
and  they  shall  know  of  his  presence  by  the  fiery  time 
of  trouble  w^hieh  shall  take  vengeance  upon  the  un- 
righteous systems  and  things  of  the  earth.  (2  Thessa- 
lonians  1:  7,  8)  This  is  the  day  of  God's  vengeance, 
and  his  fire  v/ill  continue  to  burn  until  all  parts  of 
the  Satanic  organizations  are  destroyed.  The  prophet 
wrote  concerning  this  first  work  of  the  Messiah: 
*  *  Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron ;  tliou 
shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel." — • 
Psalm  2 :  9. 

TO  RECEIVE  HIS  BRIDE 

Jesus  is  likened  unto  a  bridegroom,  while  the 
church  is  likened  unto  a  bride.  (John  3:  29;  Revela- 
tion 21 :  9 ;  2  Corinthians  11:2)  Many  beautiful  word 
pictures  or  types  appear  in  the  Old  Testament,  which 
God  caused  to  be  made  for  the  purpose  of  teaching 
his  great  plan  to  those  who  would  search  for  the 
truth.  One  of  these  pictures  is  that  of  Isaac  and 
Rebekah.  Abraham  the  father  of  Isaac  sent  his  ser- 
vant Eliezer  into  a  distant  land  to  find  a  wife  for  his 
son  Isaac.  The  servant  took  ten  camels  and  went  into 
Mesopotamia,  unto  the  city  of  Nahor.  There  he  found 
Rebekah,  the  daughter  of  Bethuel,  a  virgin  very  fair 
to  look  upon.  Eliezer  **took  a  golden  earring  of  half 
a  shekel  weight,  and  two  bracelets  for  her  hands  of 
ten  shekels  weight  of  gold".  Rebekah  agreed  to  ac- 
company Eliezer  to  become  the  wife  of  Isaac.  ''And 
Rebekah  arose,  and  her  damsels,  and  they  rode  upon 
the  camels,  and  followed  the  man  [Eliezer],"  who 
brought  her  unto  Isaac.  **And  Isaac  brought  her 
into  his  mother  Sarah's  tent,  and  took  Rebekah,  and 
she  became  his  wife, ' '  after  his  mother  Sarah 's  death. 
See  Genesis  24. 


/ 


264  The  Harp  of  God 

In  this  picture  Abraham  is  a  type  of  Jehovah ; 
his  wife  Sarah,  a  type  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant, 
from  which  the  Messiah  springs;  Isaac,  the  son,  a 
type  of  Jesus  Christ ;  while  Rebekah  is  a  type  of  the 
church,  the  bride  of  Christ.  Eliezer,  Abraham's  ser- 
vant, is  a  type  of  the  holy  spirit,  whose  mission  it  is 
to  invite  the  church  and  to  assist  her,  and  ultimately 
to  bring  her  and  her  companions  to  the  an ti typical 
Isaac,  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  Bridegroom.  Before  Jesus 
departed  from  the  earth  he  said  to  his  disciples:  ''I 
will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  .  .  .  even  the  spirit  of  truth.  ...  I  will 
not  leave  you  comfortless:  I  will  come  to  you.  Yet 
a  little  while,  and  the  world  secth  me  no  more;  but 
ye  see  me:  because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also.'*  (John 
14:16-19)  Eliezer  here  pictures  the  comforter,  the 
holy  spirit,  which  was  given  at  Pentecost,  at  which 
time  the  way  was  opened  and  the  invitation  was 
given  to  men  who  love  the  Lord  to  become  followers 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  be  of  the  bride  class.  The 
ten  camels  which  Eliezer  took  with  him  represent  the 
Word  of  God,  the  ten  strings  of  the  harp.  The  golden 
earring  presented  to  Rebekah  represents  the  blessed 
and  pleasing  effect  of  hearing  the  call  to  be  the  bride 
of  Christ ;  while  the  two  bracelets  picture  the  happy 
effect  of  responding  to  the  divine  call  and  doing  with 
our  might  what  our  hands  find  to  do. 

The  call  to  become  members  of  this  glorious 
bride  class  is  beautifully  pictured  by  the  psalmist 
thus:.  ''Hearken,  0  daughter,  and  consider,  and  in- 
cline thine  ear;  forget  also  thine  ovai  people,  and 
thy  father's  house;  so  shall  the  Idng  greatly  desire 
thy  beauty;  for  he  is  thy  Lord;  and  worship  thou 
him."  (Psalm  45:10,11)  Responding  to  that  call, 
one  consecrates  his  all  to  the  Lord,  is  begotten  of  the 


Our  Lord's  Return 


265 


holy  spirit,  and  henceforth  being  borne  up  by  the 
spirit  of  the  Lord  through  his  Word  grows  in  the  like- 
ness of  his  Master  and  prepares  for  the  coming  of 
the  beloved  Bridegroom.  The  death  of  Sarah,  Abra- 
ham's wife,  pictures  the  end  of  the  Abrahamic  cove- 
nant, from  which  springs  the  bride  of  Christ;  and 
Isaac  receiving  Rebekah  and  taking  her  as  his  wife 
after  his  mother's  death  foreshadowed  the  complete 
union  of  Christ  Jesus  the  bridegroom  and  the  church 
his  bride  at  the  end  of  the  world. 

458  Throughout  the  entire  Christian  era  from  Pente- 
cost until  now  the  Lord  has  been  preparing  his  bride, 
the  church.  Many  have  been  called,  but  few  have 
been  chosen,  and  still  fewer  will  be  faithful ;  but  only 
the  faithful  ones  will  he  receive.  Just  before  liis  de- 
parture at  the  time  of  his  first  advent  he  said:  ''In 
my  Father 's  house  are  many  mansions :  if  it  were  not 
so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you, 
I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself ;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also. ' ' — John  14 :  2,  3. 

459  Here,  then,  is  one  of  the  positive  statements  that 
one  of  the  chief  purposes  of  the  Lord's  return  is  to 
receive  unto  himself  his  bride.  Since  his  appearance, 
therefore,  he  has  been  doing  the  harvest  work,  name- 
ly, gathering  unto  himself  those  who  will  constitute 
the  bride  class. 

460  rpj^g  Lord  gives  a  picture  of  this  kingdom  class. 
(Matthew  25:1-13)  He  speaks  of  ten  \'irgins  who 
took  their  lamps  and  went  forth  to  meet  the  bride- 
groom. A  virgin  means  a  pure  one.  Lovers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  the  Bridegroom,  long  for  his  return. 
These  took  their  lamps.  The  lamp  represents  the 
Word  of  Grod ;  as  the  psalmist  says :  * '  Thy  word  is  a 
lamp  unto  my  feet."  (Psalm  119 : 105)  Part  of  these 


266 


The  Harp  of  God 


virgins  were  wise;  therefore  they  took  oil  in  their 
vessels.  The  wise  represent  the  bride  class,  the  faith- 
ful ones;  while  the  foolish  ones  picture  a  class  of 
greater  numbers  who  will  not  be  of  the  bride  class, 
but  will  be  bom  on  the  spirit  plane.  While  these 
have  waited  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  the  foolish 
ones  have  been  indifferent.  They  have  had  no  oil  in 
their  vessels,  which  means  they  have  no  real,  inward 
joy  in  serving  the  Lord  and  his  cause;  hence  they 
have  been  negligent.  Whereas  the  wise  virgins  have 
been  watching  and  have  kept  their  lamps  trimmed 
and  burning;  wliich  means  they  have  studied  the 
Word  of  God  and  watched  the  fulfilment  of  prophe- 
cies, have  rejoiced  in  the  fact  of  his  presence  and 
delighted  in  telling  others  thereof,  and  have  prepared 
for  the  coming  of  the  Bridegroom.  As  these,  then,  of 
the  bride  class  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that 
the  Bridegroom  is  present,  they  join  in  the  cry:  Be- 
hold the  Bridegroom!"  And  they  hasten  to  prepare 
to  meet  him.  During  the  time  of  the  harvest  of  the 
Christian  age  and  during  the  second  presence  of  the 
Lord,  members  of  the  wise  virgin  class  coming  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth  of  his  presence  have  rejoiced 
greatly  because  the  Lord  has  returned;  and  the 
joy  of  the  bride  class  has  increased  as  the  mem- 
bers have  marked  the  ever-increasing  evidence  man- 
ifesting the  Lord's  presence  and  the  preparation  for 
his  kingdom.  With  gladness  they  have  learned  of 
his  presence  and  have  been  zealous  in  presenting  the 
message  of  truth  to  others,  that  their  hearts  might  be 
refreshed.  The  Lord  has  a  special  reward  for  those 
who  love  his  second  appearing,  as  the  apostle  plainly 
stated.  (2  Timothy  4:8)  There  will  not  be  a  great 
number  of  this  bride  class.  On  the  contrary,  they  are 
small  in  number.  Jesus  said  there  would  be  but  a 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


237 


little  flock.  (Luke  12:  32)  Through  the  Apostle  John 
he  designates  the  number  as  144,000. — Rev.  14 : 1. 

Some  of  these  dear  saints,  however,  have  been 
selected  from  time  to  time  throughout  the  Christian 
age,  beginning  "svith  the  apostles  at  Pentecost.  These 
have  died  and  waited  for  the  return  of  the  Lord. 
Since  the  Scriptures  show  that  the  dead  know  not 
anything  until  the  resurrection,  it  would  be  reason- 
able to  expect  the  Lord  to  do  something  for  these 
who  had  died  faithful  to  their  covenant  and  that  he 
would  do  sometliing  for  them  in  the  time  of  his  pres- 
ence. Paul  says:  ''For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  which  are  alive,  and  re- 
main unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  shall  not  prevent 
them  which  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord  himself  shall 
descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of 
the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God:  and  the 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first:  then  we  which  are 
alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and 
so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord. — 1  Thess.  4 : 15-17. 

Some  have  misconstrued  this  text  to  mean  that 
the  Lord  will  appear  the  second  time  and  at  that 
time  give  a  great  shout  whereby  the  dead  shall  be 
awakened.  Manifestly  the  text  above  quoted  refers 
to  the  time  when  Christ  Jesus  comes  to  his  temple. 
He  comes  clothed  with  all  power  and  authority.  He 
comes  triumphantly.  He  has  ousted  the  enemy  from 
heaven  and  gathered  unto  himself  those  who  have 
been  faithful.  It  is  the  time  for  an  expression  of  his 
own  joy ;  and  coming  to  his  temple,  and  finding  some 
faithful,  he  invited  them  to  enter  into  his  joy.  It  is 
the  time  for  the  forward  and  triumphant  movement 
of  those  vrho  love  God  and  when  they  must  give  proc- 
lamation concerning  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  It  is 


268 


The  Harp  of  God 


the  time  for  these,  as  the  Lord's  instrnments,  to  serve 
notice  upon  the  nations  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand. 

At  that  time,  then,  we  should  expect  the  resur- 
rection of  those  saintly  ones  who  died  before  the 
second  coming  of  the  Lord;  and  should  expect  that 
these  would  be  awakened  out  of  death  and  gathered 
unto  the  Lord,  thus  to  be  for  ever  with  him.  And 
therefore  those  believers  who  were  alive  at  his  coming, 
when  the  time  comes  for  their  death,  would  experi- 
ence an  instantaneous  change  from  human  to  spirit 
beings.  And  finally,  when  all  the  members  of  the 
bride  class  shall  have  finished  their  course  and  all 
have  passed  from  the  human  into  the  spiritual  con- 
dition, with  glorious  bodies,  they  will  enjoy  peace  and 
happiness  for  evermore.  The  Lord  is  taking  unto 
himself  his  bride  class,  because  the  promise  is  that 
these  shall  be  heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ 
Jesus  in  his  kingdom  and  that  they  shall  reign  with 
him.— Romans  8 : 16, 17  ;  Revelation  20 :  6. 

ESTABLISHING  HIS  KINGDOM 

Before  the  foundation  of  the  world  God  fore- 
ordained that  he  would  have  a  kingdom  and  a  royal 
family  who  would  have  charge  of  the  kingdom.  The 
kingdom  necessarily  embraces  the  royal  house  or 
royal  family,  as  well  as  the  dominion.  Foreknowing 
the  end  of  all  things,  God  provided  in  his  great  plan 
not  only  for  the  redemption  of  the  human  race,  but 
for  the  selection  from  amongst  men  of  a  certain  num- 
ber whom  he  would  transform  into  the  image  and  like- 
ness of  his  beloved  Son.  God  provided  also  that  these 
should  constitute  the  royal  family  of  heaven.  The 
Apostle  Peter  says  of  this  class :  "But  you  are  a  chosen 
race,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  people  for 


Our  Lord's  Return 


269 


a  purpose;  that  you  may  declare  the  perfections  of 
him  who  called  you  from  darkness  into  his  wonderful 
light ;  who  once  were  not  a  people,  but  now  are  God's 
people.''— 1  Peter  2:9, 10,  Diaglott. 

To  his  disciples,  and  to  those  who  should  there- 
after become  such,  Jesus  said:  ''I  appoint  unto  you  a 
kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  appointed  unto  me." 
(Luke  22:  29)  And  again:  "To  him  that  overcometh 
will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne."  (Revela- 
tion 3 :  21)  From  these  scriptures  it  is  to  be  seen  that 
the  church  constitutes  with  Jesus  the  royal  family, 
the  kingdom  class,  otherwise  called  the  seed  of  Abra- 
ham, through  which  the  blessings  shall  flow  out  to 
mankind.  This  is  the  kingdom  for  which  he  taught 
his  disciples  to  pray.  This  is  the  kingdom  which  the 
Prophet  Daniel  daclares  shall  be  set  up  to  have  no 
successor,  and  which  shall  be  established  during  the 
last  days  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  wicked  world. — 
Daniel  2:44;  7:14,27. 

466  rpj^g  truly  consecrated  followers  of  Jesus,  obe- 
dient to  his  admonition,  have  been  watching  and  wait- 
ing ;  and  those  who  v/ere  permitted  to  live  at  the  time 
of  his  second  presence  and  since  have  experienced 
that  blessedness  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet  at 
the  end  of  the  1335  symbolic  days  or  years.  As  the 
great  divine  plan  has  been  revealed  to  these  they  have 
learned  that  the  Lord  has  returned  and  is  here,  in- 
visible to  human  eyes,  yet  exercising  his  great  power 
in  exposing  Satan  and  dashing  to  pieces  the  present 
unrighteous  order,  gathering  unto  himself  his  saints, 
and  putting  in  order  the  affairs  of  his  kingdom ;  that 
he  has  taken  unto  himself  his  great  power  to  reign, 
and  that  soon  all  the  saints  shall  participate  with 
the  Lord  in  glory  in  carrying  out  the  further  divine 


270 


The  Harp  of  God 


arrangement.  As  this  string  upon  the  harp  of  God 
is  revealed  to  them,  they  sing  with  exultant  joy: 

"Our  lamps  are  trimmed  and  burning, 

Our  robes  are  white  and  clean ; 
We've  tarried  for  the  Bridegroom, 

And  now  we'll  enter  in. 
We  know  we've  nothing  worthy 

That  we  can  call  our  own, 
Tlie  light,  the  oil,  the  robes  we  wear. 

Are  all  from  him  alone. 
Behold,  behold  the  Bridegroom ! 

And  all  may  enter  in. 
Whose  lamps  are  trimmed  and  burning, 

Whose  robes  are  white  and  clean." 

And  these  saints  while  yet  on  earth,  beholding 
with  the  eye  of  faith  the  marvelous  fulfilment  of 
prophecy,  are  patiently  waiting  for  the  time  of  their 
glorification,  when  they  shall  each  be  clothed  upon 
v/ith  a  new  and  beautiful  body,  like  unto  Jesus,  the 
beloved  Bridegroom,  and  when  they  shall  each  see 
kim  as  he  is. 


What  effect  is  produced  upon  one  by  the  return  of  a  very 
dear  friend  long  absent?  T[  347. 

Define  the  term  "friend".  H  348. 

Who  is  mankind's  greatest  friend,  and  why?  If  348. 

How  long  since  Jesus  journeyed  to  a  far  country?  and 
what  did  he  say  about  returning?  ^  349. 

If  the  facts  show  that  this  dear  friend  has  returned  for 
the  blessing  of  mankind,  what  effect  should  this  have  upou 
those  who  have  been  expecting  his  return?  If  349. 

Would  his  returning  constitute  one  of  the  strings  upon 
the  harp  of  God?  %  349. 

For  what  have  the  Jews  been  long  hoping  and  praying? 
H  350. 

For  what  have  Christians  been  looking  and  waiting  for 
the  past  nineteen  centuries?  H  350. 


Our  hordes  Return 


271 


For  what  is  the  world  of  mankind  groaning  and  waiting? 
^  350. 

What  effect  will  be  produced  upon  mankind  when  they 
learn  that  their  benefactor  is  present  to  bestow  blessings 
upon  them?  ^  350. 

Is  the  returning  of  the  Lord  to  Christians  a  precious 
string  upon  the  harp  of  God?  and  if  so,  why?  ^  351. 

What  conditions  in  the  earth  are  preparing  the  people 
for  a  knowledge  of  our  Lord's  return?  1[  352. 

Are  the  reasons  for  our  Lord's  return  few  or  many?  and 
should  they  be  kept  in  mind?  ^  353. 

Should  we  reason  upon  tlie  Scriptures?  and  if  so,  why? 
\  353. 

In  the  advancement  of  the  divine  plan,  do  we  find  reason 
and  the  Scriptures  harmonizing?  ^  353. 

What  points  are  conclusively  proven  by  the  scriptures 
thus  far  examined?  ^  354. 

Why  is  it  necessary  for  relationship  to  be  established 
between  the  world  and  the  Lord  Jesus?  If  354. 

What  reason  do  we  see  for  the  Lord's  establishing  in  the 
earth  a  righteous  order  of  things?  ^  354. 

Must  he  be  present  to  establish  that  order?  %  354. 

Is  there  Scriptural  evidence  to  support  these  reasonable 
conclusions?  %  355. 

What  did  the  Prophet  Isaiah  say  about  the  coming  of 
this  mighty  One?  ^  355. 

What  presumption  follows  the  term  "everlasting  father"? 
^  355. 

What  blessing,  then,  should  we  expect  man  to  receive 
through  the  promised  government?  \  355. 

What  presumption  must  be  indulged  concerning  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord  from  the  utterance  of  Jehovah  to  King 
Zedekiah  through  the  Prophet  Ezekiel  when  God  overturned 
the  government  of  Israel?  If  356. 

What  is  to  be  expected  that  the  coming  of  this  mighty 
One  would  do  in  the  earth?  ^  357. 

When  Zedekiah  was  overthrown,  what  did  the  Gentiles 
do,  by  the  Lord's  permission?  %  358. 

Through  the  Prophet  Daniel,  what  world  empires  did  the 
Lord  Jehovah  foretell?  and  how  long  would  they  last? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  358. 

Would  we  expect  the  righteous  King  to  be  present  when 
this  breaking  to  pieces  of  the  old  kingdoms  occurs?  \  35S. 


272 


The  Harp  of  God 


Why  do  the  Scriptures  speak  of  this  righteous  kingdom 
as  the  kingdom  of  heaven?  ^  358. 

In  what  twofold  sense  is  the  term  "kingdom"  used?  ^  359. 

To  what  did  most  of  the  parables  of  Jesus  relate?  ^  359. 

What  did  Jesus  teach  the  disciples  indicating  the  im- 
portance of  the  Lord's  coming  kingdom?  ^  359. 

Should  Christians  expect  the  fulfilment  of  their  prayers? 
H  359. 

Since  this  coming  King  must  have  a  kingdom,  do  the 
Scriptures  indicate  who  is  to  be  the  king  of  this  new  order? 
Quote  the  Scriptural  proof.  1[  359. 

When  Jesus  stood  before  Pilate,  of  what  crime  was  he 
accused?  ^  3G0. 

What  Question  did  Pilate  ask  him?  and  what  was  the 
Lord's  reply?  H  360. 

What  is  meant  by  the  term  "world"  as  used  in  this  and 
other  scriptures?  If  360. 

W^hat  peoples  were  to  have  dominion  in  the  earth  from 
the  time  of  Zedekiah's  overthrow  until  the  second  coming 
of  the  Lord?  If  360. 

Who  is  the  invisible  ruler  of  that  social  order  of  things? 

360. 

By  what  other  terms  is  Satan  designated?  ^  360. 

AVhat  has  been  the  nature  of  Satan's  rule  through  his 
earthly  representatives?  IT  360. 

What  do  we  understand,  then,  to  be  the  meaning  of  the 
Master's  words  to  Pilate?  U  360. 

Did  the  parable  of  the  pounds  taught  by  our  Lord  to 
his  disciples  indicate  his  return?  ^  361. 

What  is  also  indicated  by  the  parable  of  the  talents? 
H  361. 

What  did  Jesus  say  to  his  disciples  just  before  his  cruci- 
fixion, about  his  second  coming?   Quote  his  words.  If  362. 

Where  were  Jesus  and  his  disciples  when  Jesus  ascended 
into  heaven?  If  363. 

Give  the  Scriptural  account  of  what  occurred  at  the  time 
of  his  ascension.  If  363. 

Who  were  the  men  who  stood  by  and  spoke  to  the  disci- 
ples at  that  time?  If  363. 

Why  did  these  angels  thus  materialize  and  speak  to  the 
disciples?  %  363. 

Were  the  disciples  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  second 


Our  Lord's  Return 


273 


coming  of  the  Lord?  and  if  so,  how  did  it  influence  their 
teachings?  Give  Scriptural  proof,  t  3G4. 

Wliat  did  Paul  say  to  Timothy  about  the  time  of  the 
end  of  his  earthly  career  concerning  the  second  coming  of 
the  Lord?  If  3G4. 

What  special  promise  is  indicated  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  would  love  his  appearing?  ^  364. 

What  is  the  book  of  Revelation  ?  ^  3G5. 

What  is  stated  in  the  latter  part  of  that  book  concerning 
the  Lord's  return?  ^  3G5. 

Can  there  be  any  doubt  about  the  Lord's  second  coming? 
and  if  not,  why  not?  ^  3G6. 

What,  then,  is  one  of  the  important  questions  to  be  first 
determined  concerning  his  coming?  1[  367. 

From  what  should  we  expect  to  get  the  evidence  concern- 
ing the  manner  of  the  Lord's  return?  ^  367. 

Is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  would  return  in  the 
body  in  which  he  was  put  to  death?  and  if  not,  why  not? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  ^  367. 

In  what  manner  will  the  faithful  followers  of  Jesus  see 
him?  ^  367. 

Has  any  human  being  seen  the  Lord  Jesus'  glorious 
body?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  IF  367. 

Why  shall  the  disciples  see  him  as  he  is?  If  368. 

Why  could  not  human  eyes  see  him?  1[  368. 

Is  he  like  Jehovah?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  368. 

In  what  manner  did  Paul  say  the  Christian  should  hence- 
forth know  Christ  Jesus?  ^  368. 

After  the  ascension  of  Jesus  on  high,  what  was  his  posi- 
tion with  reference  to  the  Father?  ^  369. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  that  he  is  a  spirit  being.  1[  369. 

What  did  Jesus  say  to  Nicodemus  about  a  spirit  being? 
and  how  does  this  illustrate  that  human  eyes  can  not  see 
the  glorious  Lord?  ^  3G9. 

Should  we  expect,  then,  our  Lord  to  be  present,  not  seen 
by  human  eyes,  but  discernible  by  those  who  are  his  true 
followers?  If  370. 

Satan  is  the  god  of  this  present  evil  world.  Have  human 
eyes  seen  him?  If  370. 

What  will  constitute  the  new  heavens  and  new  earth? 
If  370. 

Will  the  ruler  of  those  new  heavens,  the  Messiah,  be 
visible  or  invisible?  If  370. 


274 


The  Harp  of  God 


Is  there  any  reason  for  us  to  expect  human  beings  to  see 
the  Lord?  If  370. 

Is  it  always  proper  to  use  the  word  "coming"  with  refer- 
ence to  our  Lord's  second  appearance?  If  not,  what  otlier 
word  is  properly  used?  If  371. 

Quote  a  number  of  scriptures  in  which  the  word  "com- 
ing" is  properly  translated  "presence".  If  372-382. 

AVhen  Jesus  ascended  on  higli,  \yhat  did  the  angels  stand- 
ing by  advise  his  disciples  as  to  the  manner  of  his  return? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  383. 

What  does  this  suggest  as  to  the  manner  of  his  return? 
If  383. 

What  is  meant  by  coming  as  a  thief  in  the  night?  and 
how  does  this  illustrate  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord? 
Give  Scriptural  proof,  ^f  383. 

What  does  the  night  illustrate?  If  383. 

W^hat  did  the  Lord  say  concerning  those  who  would  report 
his  return  in  the  desert  or  in  tlie  secret  chambers?  If  384. 

Explain  the  Lord's  statement  of  his  second  appearing 
wherein  he  said,  "As  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east, 
and  shineth  even  unto  the  west,  so  shall  the  presence  of  the 
Son  of  man  be."  If  384. 

What  heavenly  planet  or  body  is  used  to  picture  the 
second  appearing  of  the  Lord?  If  385. 

Why  is  it  important  to  keep  in  mind  that  the  Lord's 
second  appearing  will  be  invisible  to  human  eyes?  ff  386. 

Is  the  time  of  his  coming  important  to  Christians?  If  387. 

State  the  various  opinions  expressed  by  some  conceraing 
the  Lord's  second  coming.  Tf  387. 

Why  do  some  of  these  desire  him  not  to  come?  ^  387. 

Are  we  justified  in  assuming  that  no  one  could  ever  know 
the  time  of  his  second  appearing?andif  not,  whynot?1f  388. 

Is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Jesus  himself  would  know 
some  time  before?  If  388. 

Why  would  he  tell  his  disciples  to  watch  if  they  would 
never  know  of  his  coming?  If  888. 

When  Jesus  arose  from  the  dead,  what  did  he  say  about 
the  power  committed  to  him?  ff  388. 

Is  it  reasonable  to  conclude  that  he  then  knew  of  his 
second  appearing  and  when  it  would  take  place?  ^  388. 

Should  we  expect  the  angels  in  heaven  to  know  when 
that  great  event  takes  place?  If  388. 

Did  the  Lord  promise  the  disciples  that  after  they  re- 


Our  Lord's  Return 


275 


ceived  the  holy  spirit  they  might  know  concerning  his 
second  coming?  T[  389. 

What  Scriptural  promise  is  given  the  Christian  that  he 
shall  have  revealed  to  him  these  things  in  due  time?  ^ 

What  did  Paul,  after  he  had  received  the  holy  spirit, 
writing  under  inspiration  to  the  Thessalonians,  say  ahout 
the  times  and  seasons  and  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord? 
H  389. 

Should  we  expect  the  watching  Christians  to  be  in  dark- 
ness as  to  the  time  of  the  Lord's  appearing?  ^  389. 

How  did  Jesus  si)eak  concerning  his  second  coming?  %  390. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  prophecy  as  relating  to  the  Lord's 
presence?  H  390. 

Does  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy  enable  the  watcher  to 
determine  about  the  Lord's  presence?  ^  390. 

In  what  way  did  Jesus  use  the  natural  harvest  to  illus- 
trate his  second  coming?  ^  391. 

Repeat  the  parable  of  the  wheat  and  the  tares,  and  give 
the  Scriptural  interpretation  of  it.  «[  391,  392. 

What  definite  conclusion  must  be  drawn  from  this  state- 
ment of  the  Lord  relative  to  his  second  presence?  !f  393. 

Would  it  be  necessary  for  the  Lord  to  be  present  before 
the  harvest?  ^  393. 

\Vould  it  be  necessary  for  him  to  be  present  some  time 
before  the  end  of  the  age  or  world?  H  393. 

What  great  historical  facts  were  written  prophetically  by 
the  Prophet  Daniel?  If  394. 

Could  these  statements  of  the  Prophet  Daniel  leading  up 
to  the  "time  of  the  end"  be  understood  by  him?  «I  394. 

What  did  Daniel  himself  say  about  understanding  his 
prophecy?  ^  394. 

Who  did  he  say  would  understand  in  due  time?  H  304. 

WTiat  is  meant  by  the  term  "time  of  tlie  end"?  If  394. 

What  did  the  Prophet  Daniel  definitely  state  would  take 
place  at  the  "time  of  the  end"?  Quote  the  scripture.  ^  394. 

State  the  fulfilment  of  Daniel's  prophecy  (11:40,  41). 
ir  395. 

In  connection  with  Napoleon's  campaign,  who  was  meant 
in  this  prophecy  by  the  "king  of  the  south"  and  by  the 
"king  of  the  north"?  If  395. 

When  did  Napoleon's  campaign  end,  as  in  this  prophecy 
described?  If  895. 


276 


The  Harp  of  God 


How  is  the  "time  of  the  end"  definitely  fixed  and  stated? 
f  395. 

From  what  time  in  the  world's  history  have  governments 
been  pictured  by  beasts?  396. 

What  did  the  Prophet  Daniel  say  about  a  fourth  beast? 
H  396. 

What  constitute  the  three  principal  component  parts  of 
the  "beast"?  If  396. 

Give  the  historical  date  of  the  beginning  of  this  great 
•'beast".  II  396. 

Quote  Daniel's  words  in  Daniel  12 :  5-7.  1[  397. 

In  Biblical  symbology,  \v\mt  is  meant  by  a  "time"?  t  397. 

How  much  time  was  indicated  by  the  Prophet  Daniel  in 
this  prophecy  as  elapsing  from  the  beginning  of  this  beastly 
order  to  the  "time  of  the  end"?  IF  397. 

How  is  the  beginning  of  the  "time  of  the  end"  definitely 
fix«d  at  1799  A.  D.?  H  397. 

What  other  periods  of  time  does  the  Prophet  Daniel 
mention  in  the  twelfth  chapter?  H  398. 

From  what  date  must  these  prophetic  days  be  counted, 
as  shown  by  the  foregoing  facts?  If  398. 

What  was  the  most  important  thing  to  which  the  prophet 
pointed?  H  398. 

Applying  the  above  rule,  a  day  for  a  year,  when  would 
the  1335  days  of  Daniel's  prophecy  end?  if  398. 

What  should  be  expected  at  that  date?  If  398. 

If  we  are  correct  in  reaching  this  date  of  1874,  should  we 
expect  corroborative  evidence  of  the  Lord's  presence?  If  398. 

Why  is  fulfilled  prophecy  conclusive  proof  concerning  the 
question  at  issue?  %  399. 

Vv  hat  is  the  value  of  physical  facts  in  examining  any 
question?  If  399. 

Is  there  a  difference  between  the  date  of  the  beginning 
of  the  "time  of  the  end"  and  that  of  the  presence  of  the 
Lord?  If  400. 

What  period  of  time  is  covered  by  the  "time  of  the  end"? 
If  400. 

From  what  time  does  the  Lord's  second  presence  date? 
and  during  what  period  of  the  "time  of  the  end"  does  his 
presence  occur?  If  400. 

Was  there  any  reason  why  these  important  dates  should 
be  concealed  for  a  time?  Give  Scriptural  reason.  If  401. 

Is  it  reasonable  to  expect  that  Jehovah  would  indicate 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


277 


something  by  which  the  event  could  be  determined  in  the 
future?  If  401. 

For  what  did  he  tell  Daniel  to  look  as  evidence  of  the 
*'time  of  the  end"?  ^  402. 

If  1799  marks  the  beginning  of  the  "time  of  the  end", 
should  we  expect  a  specific  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  of 
Daniel  shortly  thereafter?  H  402. 

Who  had  access  to  the  Bible  prior  to  1799?  H  402. 

What  penalties  were  attached  to  common  people  for  hav- 
ing a  Bible  in  possession?  \  402. 

What  happened  in  1799  that  caused  a  change  of  con- 
ditions? H  402. 

Who  had  taught  the  doctrine  of  the  divine  right  of  kings 
and  the  divine  right  of  the  clergy?  1[  402. 

What  historical  event  occurred  to  open  the  minds  of  the 
people  to  the  truth  concerning  these  doctrines?  H  402. 

How  did  this  mark  a  beginning  of  the  fulfilment  of 
Daniel's  prophecy?  *i[  402. 

State  when  and  how  soon  after  1799,  the  beginning  of 
the  "time  of  the  end",  the  great  Bible  societies  were  or- 
ganized. IF  403. 

Give  approximately  the  number  of  Bibles  that  were  dis- 
tributed amongst  the  people  thereafter.  1[  403. 

Did  the  Papal  system  gladly  participate  in  distributing 
the  Bible  amongst  the  people?  1[  403. 

When  did  the  people  begin  to  learn  that  God  makes  no 
distinction  between  persons,  whether  they  are  priests  or 
of  the  "common  herd"?  ^  403. 

Belate  something  concerning  the  increase  of  knowledge 
generally  since  1800  A.  D.  H  404. 

Prior  to  1799,  what  was  the  means  of  travel  through  the 
countries?  If  405. 

Was  there  any  increase  of  travel  shortly  after  1799  A. 
D.?  If  405. 

When  was  the  steam  locomotive  put  in  operation?  and 
how  have  means  of  rapid  transit  increased  since  that  time? 
t  405. 

Do  these  relate  to  the  'day  of  God's  preparation'?  If  406. 

When  was  the  telegraph  invented?  and  what  other  means 
of  communication  have  followed  since?  If  407. 

Can  there  be  any  doubt  about  these  physical  facts'  mark- 
ing a  fulfilment  of  Daniel's  prophecy  concerning  the  "time 
of  the  end"?  H  408. 


273 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  did  Jesus  say  concerning  the  latter  part  of  the 
"time  of  the  end"  and  in  what  way  it  would  be  indicated? 
H  409. 

Did  the  Apostle  Paul  indicate  that  greater  light  would 
come  to  the  people  at  the  "time  of  the  end"?  *1[  409. 

What  other  evidence  have  we  of  increasing  light  at  that 
time?  H  410. 

What  class  of  people  have  been  trodden  down  for  cen- 
turies? and  when  did  they  begin  to  get  their  eyes  opened 
as  to  their  privileges?  If  410. 

When  was  the  first  labor  organization  in  the  world 
formed?  If  410. 

Enumerate  some  of  the  great  inventions  and  discoveries 
since  1874,  marking  the  fulfilment  of  Daniel's  prophecy, 
and  the  Lord's  presence,  and  the  "time  of  the  end".  H  410. 

How  long  is  the  harvest  of  the  Christian  era?  Where 
and  how  is  this  pictured?  H  411. 

Why  have  true  Christians  been  gathered  together  during 
the  past  fifty  years,  and  in  what  work  have  these  been  en- 
gaged? U  412. 

Give  the  distinction  between  wheat  and  tares  referred  to 
by  the  Lord  in  the  parable  of  Matthew  13 : 30.  H  413. 

Wliat  has  been  the  Lord's  purpose  in  gathering  together 
his  people  during  the  harvest  period?  If  414. 

Identify  the  temple  class.  Give  Scriptural  proofs.  If  415. 

Why  is  the  temple  of  God  holy?  Give  Scriptural  proof. 
IF  416. 

Do  the  Scriptures  indicate  at  what  time  the  Lord  Jesus 
begins  exercising  power  against  Satan?  When  and  how? 
If  417. 

When  was  Jesus  presented  to  Israel  as  King?  T[  418. 

What  important  event  of  the  Lord's  second  presence  oc- 
curred in  1918?  Give  Scriptural  pix)of.  H  419. 

Define  evidence,  circumstantial  and  positive.  Give  in- 
stances of  each.  1[  420. 

What  constitutes  physical  facts  upon  which  we  may  rely 
as  competent  evidence?  If  421. 

When  did  the  Lord  come  to  his  temple,  and  what  is  the 
proof  thereof?  Whom  do  the  sons  of  Levi  picture?  What 
is  the  real  purpose  of  the  refining?  What  is  an  offering 
in  righteousness?  If  422. 

Wliat  happened  to  the  church  in  1918  and  which  Jesus 
foretold?  If  42a 


Our  Lord's  Return 


279 


What  conclusion  may  be  reached  from  the  foregoing 
facts?  If  424. 

Why  have  Christians  particularly  since  1875  been  pro- 
claiming the  Scriptural  proof  of  the  divine  plan?  How 
did  Jesus  illustrate  the  gathering  together  of  his  followers? 
H  425. 

Do  we  find  the  clergy  of  various  denominations  anxious 
to  tell  of  the  Lord's  second  presence?  and  if  not,  why  not? 
If  426. 

Why  do  these  distinguished  gentlemen  scoff  and  jeer  at 
those  who  teach  that  the  Lord  is  now  present?  If  426. 

Did  the  Lord  foretell  this?  Quote  the  apostle's  language 
with  reference  to  it.  Tf  426. 

Why  did  the  disciples  want  to  know  what  would  be  the 
proof  of  the  Lord's  presence  and  of  the  end  of  the  world? 
If  427. 

Repeat  the  question  that  they  propounded  to  Jesus  on 
the  Mount  of  Olives.  If  427. 

Will  the  physical  earth  ever  be  destroyed?  Give  Scrip- 
tural proof  for  answer.  If  427. 

What  is  meant,  then,  by  the  end  of  the  w^orld?  ^  428. 

What  became  of  the  first  world?  If  428. 

How  many  persons  were  carried  over  from  the  first  world 
to  that  designated  as  the  'present  evil  world'?  If  428. 

What  period  of  time  is  designated  in  the  Scriptures  as 
the  ^present  evil  world'?  If  428. 

What  Scriptural  proof  is  there  as  to  how  the  'present  evil 
world'  shall  pass  away?  If  428. 

In  what  world  and  what  part  of  that  world  did  God  make 
the  promise  to  Abraham  that  in  his  seed  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  should  be  blessed?  If  429. 

What  was  God's  declaration  to  Zedekiah,  the  king  of 
Israel?  Repeat  it.  ^  429. 

When  was  Zedekiah  overthrown?  If  430. 

Who  established  the  universal  Gentile  empire  then?  If  430. 

When  did  the  "Gentile  times"  begin?  and  how  long  must 
that  period  last?  If  430. 

Who  is  the  one  here  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  as  "he 
whose  right  it  is"?  If  430. 

Would  it  be  reasonable,  then,  to  expect  the  presence  of 
this  mighty  One  before  the  overthrow  of  the  old  order  or 
present  evil  world?  If  430. 

Why  was  the  year  1914  A.  D.  an  important  date?  If  430. 


/ 


280  The  Harp  of  God 

What  would  be  reasonably  expected  to  be  the  conduct 
of  the  Gentile  nations  after  1914  with  reference  to  con- 
tinuing in  power?  1[  431. 

What  does  the  apostle  say  would  be  the  condition  of 
these  nations  at  that  time?  Quote  the  scripture.  1[  431. 

What  did  Jesus  say  would  mark  the  beginning  of  the  end 
of  the  world?  Quote  his  ansv/er  to  the  question.  If  432. 

What  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  began  in  1914?  If  432. 

How  does  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  also  mark  the 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  of  Daniel  (2:44)?  If  433. 

Why  are  these  kingdoms  of  earth  being  broken  to  pieces? 
If  433. 

Quote  the  words  of  Jesus  given  by  various  apostles  con- 
cerning the  persecution  of  his  followers  at  the  end  of  the 
world.  If  434. 

What  fulfilment  of  these  prophetic  utterances  of  the 
Master  took  place  in  1917,  1918,  and  1919?  If  434. 

Give  some  instances  of  the  Lord's  protecting  care  of  his 
followers  during  this  period  of  persecution.  If  485-437. 

Why  should  Christians  not  complain  but  rejoice  because 
of  these  trying  experiences?  If  437. 

Quote  the  Master's  words  in  Matthew  24 : 14,  in  answer 
to  the  question  propounded  to  him.  If  438. 

AVhat  evidence  is  there  of  a  fulfilment  of  these  prophetic 
words?  If  438. 

AVhat  did  Jesus  say  relative  to  the  regathering  of  Israel 
to  Palestine  as  evidence  of  his  second  presence?  If  439. 

What  did  Jesus  tell  his  followers  to  do  when  they  should 
see  these  things  coming  to  pass,  and  why?  If  439. 

How  is  the  Lord's  presence  and  the  end  of  the  world 
shown  by  the  reaping  of  the  "vine  of  the  earth"?  If  440. 

Why  would  Jesus  admonish  his  followers  to  watch  for 
his  second  coming?  If  442. 

Suppose  it  were  true  that  *no  man  knows  the  day  nor 
the  hour'  of  the  Lord's  appearing,  what  difference  would 
it  now  make?  If  443. 

Is  there  any  reason  why  a  Christian  should  be  in  dark- 
ness concerning  the  times  and  seasons  of  the  Lord's  pres- 
ence? If  443. 

Should  we  waste  our  time  to  quibble  about  dates,  or 
days,  or  hours?  If  443. 

What  do  fulfilled  prophecy  and  the  physical  facts  estab- 
lish relative  to  this  question?  Tf  443. 


Our  Lord*s  Return 


281 


How  does  the  Prophet  Isaiah  describe  this  class  of  faith- 
ful watchers?  Quote  his  words.  Tf  443. 

Describe  those  who  now  have  the  harp  of  God.  ^  444. 

Give  the  three  primary  puri)oses  of  the  Lord's  presence. 
If  445. 

Is  the  Lord's  second  presence  for  the  purpose  of  destroy- 
ing the  earth?  ^.446. 

What  is  the  proper  explanation  of  Peter's  words  in 
2  Peter  3: 10-12?  T[  447. 

What  did  the  apostle  mean  when  he  said  that  'we  look 
for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  right- 
eousness'? T[  448. 

What  evidence  is  there  that  the  fire  is  now  burning? 
How  long  will  it  continue  to  burn?  ^  449. 

What  bearing  has  this  on  the  presence  of  the  Lord?  ^  449, 

What  Scriptural  explanation  is  given  for  the  distress  of 
nations  and  perplexity  at  this  time?  IF  450. 

Describe  the  actions  of  the  employing  and  the  laboring 
classes.  How  are  all  these  perplexed?  1[  451. 

To  what  is  this  disturbed  condition  leading?  ^  452. 

Is  there  greater  trouble  just  ahead?  and  if  so,  what  proof 
have  we?  Quote  the  scriptures.  If  453. 

What  will  follow  this  shaking  of  the  nations?  T  453. 

How  is  the  Lord's  presence  revealing  the  hidden  things? 
Quote  the  Scriptural  authority  for  your  answer.  If  453. 

What  effect  is  this  light  having  upon  Satan  and  his  king- 
dom? What  effect  is  the  Lord's  presence  having  upon  the 
nations  of  the  earth?  \  454. 

Quote  Isaiah  34 : 1-4  and  51 :  6  and  explain.  If  454. 

How  will  this  trouble  bring  to  the  minds  of  the  people 
the  presence  of  the  Lord?  T[  454. 

What  is  meant  by  the  "day  of  God's  vengeance"?  and 
what  did  the  Lord  say  he  would  do  with  the  nations  at 
this  time?  H  454. 

What  is  meant  by  the  Bridegroom  and  bride?  Give  the 
picture  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Rebekah,  stating  what  each 
typified,  and  what  the  whole  picture  shows.  ?  455. 

In  this  picture,  what  did  Eliezer  represent?  If  456. 

Quote  the  words  of  the  Master  with  reference  to  sending 
a  comforter  to  his  followers.  H  456. 

"NA'hat  was  pictured  by  the  ten  camels  which  Eliezer  took 
with  him?  What  was  pictured  by  the  golden  ornaments 
presented  to  Rebekah?  %  456. 


282 


The  Harp  of  God 


Quote  the  words  of  the  psalmist  inviting  the  church  to 
become  the  bride  of  Christ.  ![  457. 

What  do  the  called  ones  do  in  response  to  the  call?  4.57. 

What  did  Sarah  picture  with  respect  to  the  covenants? 
What  is  pictured  by  Isaac  receiving  Kebekah  and  making 
her  his  wife  after  the  death  of  his  mother  Sarah?  ^  457. 

During  what  period  of  time  has  the  Lord  been  preparing 
the  bride  of  Christ?  What  did  .Tesns  say  about  preparing  a 
special  place  for  these,  and  his  return  to  receive  his  bride? 

V  458. 

What  do  his  words  show  with  reference  to  one  of  the 
principal  reasons  for  his  second  coming?  «f  459. 

Explain  the  parable  of  the  virgins,  Matthew  25:1-13. 
How  has  knowledge  of  the  Lord's  presence  affected  the 
wise  virgin  class?  %  400. 

What  proof  is  this  that  his  presence  is  one  of  the  strings 
of  the  harp  of  God?  *:  4G0. 

Do  the  Scriptures  indicate  how  many  will  be  in  the  bride 
class?  If  so,  give  the  proof,  4G0. 

What  do  the  Scriptures  show  the  Ivord  does  for  the  faith- 
ful saints  who  dic^  long  ago  when  he  first  returns?  Give 
the  Scriptural  proof.  ^  461. 

To  what  period  of  time  does  the  apostle  refer  in  1  Thessa- 
lonians  4:  1.5-17?  ^  4G2. 

Should  we  expect  the  resurrection  of  the  saints  during 
this  time?  How  is  he  gathering  unto  himself  the  saints  who 
are  still  on  earth  during  his  presence?  *l  403. 

Give  some  Scriptural  promises  concerning  the  church  be- 
ing for  ever  with  the  Lord.  ^  403. 

What  is  meant  by  the  kingdom  of  God?  Who  constitute 
the  royal  family  of  heaven?  ^  404. 

What  promise  did  .lefius  make  to  this  class  concern -ng  a 
kingdom?  Where  will  tliese  be  associated  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  his  kingdom?  I  405. 

For  what  kingdom  did  the  Lord  teach  his  disciples  to 
pray?  and  is  it  the  .same  .spoken  of  by  the  prophets  of  old? 

V  405. 

Who  have  enjoyed  and  are  enjoyiiig  the  blessedness  spo- 
ken of  by  Daniel  the  prophet  in  Daniel  12:12?  ^  400. 

A-s  these  appreciate  this  string  of  the  harp,  what  song  is 
appropriate  to  them?  ^  400. 

While  the  saints  thus  rejoice,  for  what  do  thf?y  patiently 
wait?  and  to  what  do  they  look  forward?  S  467. 


CHAPTER  X 


String  9:  Glorification  of  the  Church 

THE  ''church*'  means  a  called  out  class,  separate 
and  distinct  from  all  others.  The  church  of 
Christ  consists  of  Jesus  Christ  the  head  and  the 
144,000  members  of  his  body.  (Col.  1: 18;  Revelation 
7:4)  Those  composing  this  special  class  are  otherwise 
designated  "saints".  A  saint  is  one  who  is  pure,  holy, 
blameless.  The  followers  of  Christ  Jesus  are  not  holy 
or  blameless  within  themselves,  but  their  holiness  is 
by  virtue  of  his  imputed  merit.  This  same  class  of 
Christians  is  otherwise  designated  in  the  Bible  as 
"a  chosen  race,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a 
people  for  a  purpose".  (1  Pet.  2 :  9,  Diaglott)  They  are 
also  designated  'new  creatures'  (2  Cor.  5: 17)  ;  there- 
fore they  constitute  the  new  creation.  This  new  crea- 
tion when  completed  will  be  of  the  divine  nature. 
(2  Peter  1:4)  Nature  is  determined  by  organism. 
The  nature  of  the  church,  then,  will  be  like  unto  Je- 
hovah God.  It  pleased  God  that  Jesus  Christ,  his 
beloved  Son,  should  have  preeminence  in  his  great 
plan ;  hence  he  is  made  the  head  of  the  new  creation. 

This  new  creation  had  its  beginning  with  Jesus 
Christ  at  the  time  of  his  baptism  in  Jordan  when  he 
was  begotten  to  the  divine  nature  and  anointed  with 
the  holy  spirit  without  limitation.  As  a  man,  he  was 
pure,  blameless,  holy.  At  the  age  of  thirty  years,  he 
was  qualified  under  the  law  to  be  a  priest,  and  there 
he  consecrated  himself  and  at  that  time  was  baptized 
and  begotten  to  the  divine  nature;  hence  he  became 

285 


286 


The  Harp  of  God 


a  new  creature  there  from  the  divine  standpoint.  As 
a  new  creature  he  was  made  perfect  by  the  things 
which  he  suffered. — Hebrews  5 :  8. 

From  the  time  of  his  baptism  he  was  opposed  by- 
Satan  the  Devil,  who  sought  to  destroy  him.  The 
reason  for  this  opposition  lay  in  the  fact  that  when 
God  sentenced  Adam  to  death  he  had  said  unto  Sa- 
tan :  * '  I  will  put  enmdty  between  thee  and  the  woman, 
and  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed ;  it  shall  bruise  thy 
head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel."  (Genesis  3: 
15)  The  woman  here  symbolized  or  tjT)ified  the 
Abrahamic  covenant,  from  which  the  seed  of  promise 
springs.  '  As  Isaac  was  the  son  of  promise,  so  the 
church  was  typified  by  Isaac.  (Galatians  4:25-29) 
The  seed  of  promise  is  therefore  the  new  creation. 
The  seed  of  the  serpent  consists  of  those  agencies 
visible  and  invisible  which  are  his  offspring,  and 
which  are  used  by  him  for  his  "wicked  work.  In  J esus ' 
day  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  and  doctors  of  the  law 
were  classed  as  the  offspring  of  Satan,  his  seed  (John 
8:44)  ;  and  it  has  been  true  at  all  times  that  many 
who  have  pretended  to  be  Christians  are  really  the 
seed  of  Satan  and  engage  in  persecuting  others  who 
love  the  Lord. 

Immediately  after  the  baptism  of  Jesus  he  went 
up  into  a  mountain  in  the  wilderness  to  study  God's 
plan  and  to  meditate  upon  it,  that  he  might  be  in- 
structed in  the  way  that  Jehovah  would  have  him  go ; 
and  when  this  season  of  forty  days  was  ended  and  he 
came  forth,  he  was  subjected  to  great  temptation  by 
the  Devil.  Jesus  resisted  all  of  these  efforts  of  Satan. 
(Luke  4: 1-13)  Jesus,  the  head  of  the  seed  of  prom- 
ise, was  the  target  of  Satan's  instruments.  For  three 
and  a  half  years  he  suffered  daily  at  the  hands  of 
Satan  and  those  who  represented  him,  namely,  those 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


287 


human  beings  who  possessed  the  devilish  spirit.  Dur- 
ing that  period  of  three  and  a  half  years  he  was  in- 
deed a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief; 
but  all  this  suffering  was  necessary  for  his  perfection 
as  a  new  creature.  (Hebrews  5:  8,  9)  Because  of  his 
faithfulness,  his  fidelity  and  loyalty  to  God  even  unto 
death,  he  won  the  great  victory,  became  an  over- 
comer.  Hence  we  read:  Wherefore  God  also  hath 
highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which  is 
above  every  name:  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in 
earth,  and  things  under  the  earth;  and  that  every 
tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father."  (Philippians  2:  9-11) 
The  members  of  the  body  of  Christ,  the  members  of 
the  church,  must  follow  in  his  footsteps. — 1  Pet.  2 :  21. 

PREDESTINATED 

While  the  selection  of  the  new  creation  began 
with  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  God  had  foreordained  long 
in  advance  that  there  should  be  a  church,  of  which 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  head.  Paul  wrote:  According  as 
he  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  that  we  should  be  holy  and  without  blame  be- 
fore him  in  love:  having  predestinated  us  unto  the 
adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to  himself,  ac- 
cording to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  to  the  praise 
of  the  glory  of  his  grace,  wherein  he  hath  made  us 
accepted  in  the  beloved.  In  whom  we  have  redemp- 
tion through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  ac- 
cording to  the  riches  of  his  grace;  wherein  he  hath 
abounded  toward  us  in  all  wisdom  and  prudence; 
having  made  knoTO  unto  us  the  mystery  of  his  will, 
according  to  his  good  pleasure  which  he  hath  pur- 
posed in  himself. ' ' — Ephesians  1 :  4-9. 


288 


The  Harp  of  God 


The  "world''  referred  to  here  means  the  organi- 
zation of  men  on  earth  under  the  supervision  of  Sa- 
tan, from  the  flood  until  the  coming  of  the  Lord's 
kingdom,  and  is  designated  in  the  Scriptures  as  the 
'present  e\dl  world'.  Paul  therefore  says  that  before 
the  foundation  of  this  world  God  made  provision  for 
the  choosing  of  the  members  of  the  church.  He  did 
not  choose  the  individuals,  but  he  predestinated  or 
foreordained  that  there  should  be  such  a  church  or 
new  creation,  and  that  these  should  be  adopted  as 
his  children  through  his  beloved  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
and  should  become  the  members  of  his  household,  and 
that  these  should  be  made  in  the  image  and  likeness 
of  Christ  Jesus  the  head.  (Romans  8 :  29)  As  we  view 
the  experiences  through  which  Jesus  passed,  we  may 
expect  to  find  that  the  body  members  would  have 
similar  experiences ;  and  this  we  do  find. 

Fifty  days  after  the  resurrection  of  J esus  v/as 
the  daj^  of  pentecost.  There  went  forth  the  call  to 
the  remnant  of  the  Jews  to  come  unto  the  Lord,  ac- 
cept Jesus  as  their  head  and  be  transferred  from 
Moses  into  Christ  and  become  the  members  of  the 
144,000,  constituting  the  church.  A  call  means  an 
announcement  or  an  invitation.  The  call  here  signi- 
fied an  announcement  of  God's  purpose  of  electing 
the  members  of  the  church  and  an  invitation  to  those 
of  the  right  heart  condition  to  accept  that  invitation. 
Many  were  called,  but  only  a  few  responded  to  that 
call  and  were  chosen.  (Matthew  22 : 14)  For  three 
and  a  half  years  this  call  was  confined  to  tlie  Jews, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  Cornelius,  the  first  Gentile, 
was  granted  the  gospel.  He  heard,  believed  on  the 
Lord  and  fully  consecrated  himself  to  do  God's  will, 
and  was  accepted.  (Acts  10)  From  that  time  forward 
the  call  has  been  general  to  any  one  who  might  desire 


Glorification  of  the  Church  289 


to  respond  to  the  terms  and  follow  in  the  Master's 
footsteps. 

For  this  purpose  the  gospel  has  been  preached, 
that  men  might  know  of  the  plan  of  God  and  under- 
stand that  he  is  selecting  the  church.  Men  of  worldly 
wisdom  have  given  no  heed  to  the  gospel.  To  them  it 
has  been  foolishness.  And  so  Paul  wrote:  **For  after 
that  in  the  wisdom  of  God  the  world  by  wisdom  Imew 
not  God,  it  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preach- 
ing to  save  them  that  believe.  For  the  Jews  require 
a  sign,  and  the  Greeks  seek  after  wisdom:  but  we 
preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  the  Jews  a  stumbling- 
block,  and  unto  the  Greeks  foolishness ;  but  unto  them 
which  are  called,  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the 
power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God.  Because  the 
foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men ;  and  the  weak- 
ness of  God  is  stronger  than  men. ' ' — 1  Cor.  1 :  21-25. 

This  message  of  Christ  J esus,  the  crucified  one, 
the  selection  of  the  church  and  the  setting  up  of  his 
kingdom,  was  a  stumblingblock  to  the  Jews;  they 
could  not  understand;  they  would  not  believe.  And 
to  most  of  the  Gentiles  it  seemed  foolishness.  It  v/as 
not  foolishness,  however.  It  was  the  greatest  wisdom. 
A  few  have  responded  to  this  divine  wisdom.  The 
man,  however,  who  thought  himself  wise  would  not 
become  a  follower  of  Jesus.  It  was  not  a  popular 
thing.  Aiid  so  it  has  ever  been  throughout  the  Chris- 
tian era  that  those  who  have  really  come  to  the  Lord, 
made  a  consecration  and  followed  in  his  footsteps, 
have  been  the  meek  and  lowly  of  heart  v/ho  are 
anxious  to  know  the  Lord  and  his  great  plan.  Hence 
Paul  writes :  *  *  For  ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how 
that  not  many  wise  men  after  the  flesh,  not  many 
mighty,  not  many  noble,  are  called  ;  but  God  hath 
chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world,  to  confound 


290 


The  Harp  of  God 


the  wise;  and  God  hath,  chosen  the  wealc  things  of 
the  world,  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty ; 
and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are 
despised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are 
not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are ;  that  no  flesh 
should  glory  in  his  presence/' — 1  Cor.  1:  26-29. 

The  thought  here  is  that  ultimately  no  creature 
wall  ever  be  standing  in  Jehovah's  presence  boasting 
of  vv'hat  he  did.  But  all  those  who  compose  the  church 
will  realize  that  all  they  have  came  to  them  as  a  gra- 
cious gift  from  Jehovah.  To  those  who  have  really 
had  the  desire  to  know  and  serve  the  Lord  the  call 
has  been  and  is  beautiful  indeed.  Such  have  been 
thrilled  with  the  gracious  words  of  Jehovah  spoken 
throught  his  prophet,  inviting  them  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  royal  family  of  heaven.  The  psalmist 
wrote:  ''Hearken,  0  daughter,  and  consider,  and  in- 
cline thine  ear;  forget  also  thine  own  people,  and 
thy  father's  house;  so  shall  the  King  greatly  desire 
thy  beauty ;  for  he  is  thy  Lord,  and  worship  thou 
him."— Psalm  45: 10, 11. 

As  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  so  the  church,  the 
bride  of  Christ,  is  the  daughter  of  God.  Hence  the 
psalmist  speaks  to  her  here,  inviting  those  who  are 
to  become  the  daughter  to  forget  their  own  people  and 
their  earthly  father's  house  and  earnestly  and  will- 
ingly follow  in  the  Master's  footsteps.  These  are  in- 
vited to  worship  the  Lord  and  grow  in  his  likeness 
and  thereby  become  beautiful ;  and  it  is  that  beauty 
and  faithful  lilieness  of  the  Lord  that  he  desires. 

DEVELOPMENT 

The  development  of  the  church  is  not  an  instan- 
taneous matter.  It  is  a  gradual  process.  Some  have 
erroneously  thought  and  taught  that  a  man  miglit  be 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


291 


wicked  all  his  life  and  then  on  his  deathbed  confess 
his  sins,  accept  Christ,  become  a  Christian  and  die 
and  go  immediately  to  heaven.  There  is  no  scripture 
that  warrants  such  a  conclusion.  Time  is  required  for 
the  development  of  the  Christian.  He  must  first  repent ; 
that  is  to  say,  become  displeased  with  the  wrongful 
course  of  the  world,  change  his  own  course  and  seek 
the  Lord.  He  must  become  converted,  turn  away  from 
a  wrongful  course  and  turn  to  the  Lord.  He  must  be 
dra,wn  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  malve  a  full  consecration,  be 
accepted  of  the  Lord,  presented  to  the  Father,  justi- 
fied, and  begotten  of  the  holy  spirit,  before  he  be- 
comes a  new  creature ;  and  from  that  time  forward  he 
must  develop.  He  must  have  the  opportunity  to  pass 
through,  and  must  paiss  through,  many  experiences 
and  by  these  experiences  learn  the  lessons  that  God 
desires  the  members  of  the  new  creation  to  learn. 

A  boy  or  a  girl  in  school  who  is  being  trained 
for  a  special  purpose  is  required  to  have  some  hard 
mental  exercise  in  order  to  develop  the  mind.  For 
this  reason  many  mathematical  problems  are  required 
of  the  pupil ;  and  other  lessons  are  required  to  develop 
the  mental  faculties.  One  who  is  training  for  a  race 
or  other  physical  contest  is  required  to  have  some 
strenuous  experiences.  With  stronger  reasoning  are 
these  principles  true  relative  to  the  members  of  the 
new  creation.  These  are  being  trained  for  the  high 
and  exalted  position  of  membership  in  the  royal 
family  of  heaven.  Hence  we  may  not  be  surprised  to 
find  often  that  their  training  is  quite  severe.  The 
understanding  of  this  requirement  enables  one  to 
appreciate  why  Christians  have  never  been  popular 
and  why  they  have  suffered  so  much  during  the  past 
nineteen  centuries. 


292 


The  Ilcrp  of  God 


The  psalmist  "WTote  concerning  the  new  creation: 
*'I  am  become  a  stranger  unto  my  brethren,  and  an 
alien  unto  my  mother's  children.  For  the  zeal  of  thine 
house  hath  eaten  me  up ;  and  the  reproaches  of  them 
that  reproached  thee  are  fallen  upon  me."  (Psalm 
69 :  8,  9)  Jesus  became  a  stranger  to  the  Jews  in  this, 
that  they  desi)ised  and  rejected  him.  Because  of  liis 
zeal  for  the  heavenly  Father's  great  plan,  his  earthly 
life  was  consumed.  Satan  had  reproached  Jehovah 
from  the  time  of  Eden ;  and  now  these  reproaches  fell 
upon  Jesus.  We  should  expect  the  body  members  to 
have  similar  experiences.  And  so  the  apostle  quotes 
this  text  and  applies  it  to  those  who  are  the  followers 
of  Jesus,  saying,  *'For  even  Christ  pleased  not  him- 
self ;  but,  £LS  it  is  written.  The  reproaches  of  them  that 
reproached  thee  fell  on  me." — Romans  15:3. 

God  is  a  great  economist.  He  makes  the  wratli  of 
men  and  other  creatures  to  result  to  his  own  praise. 
Satan  and  his  seed  have  always  persecuted  and  buf- 
feted the  Christians,  and  Jehovah  has  caused  this 
persecution  to  result  in  the  development  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  body  of  Christ.  He  could  have  prevented 
the  church  from  suffering  at  Satan's  hands  had  he 
desired  so  to  do;  but  by  being  permitted  to  bufiet 
themvdth  trying  experiences,  Satan  has  demonstrated 
his  o\m  depravity,  and  the  resistance  of  the  church 
has  shown  their  love  and  devotion  to  the  Lord  and 
thus  developed  a  Christlikcness  that  is  pleasing  unto 
him. 

483  wriien  one  first  becomes  a  Christian  he  does  not 
usually  suffer  so  much  as  later,  when  he  is  more 
developed.  He  is  at  first  designated  in  the  Scriptures 
as  a  babe  in  Christ.  As  we  deal  with  babes,  so  our 
heavenlj'-  Father  deals  Avith  Ms  baby  children.  As 
earthly  babies  are  fed  upon  milk  and  other  light  diets, 


Glorification  of  the  Church  293 


so  is  one  when  he  first  becomes  a  Christian ;  and  his 
experiences  are  in  harmony  therewith,  as  the  Apostle 
Peter  says:  "As  newborn  babes,  desire  the  sincere 
milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby.'' — 
1  Peter  2 :  2. 

The  apostle  then  illustrates  the  growth  of  a 
Christian  by  likening  the  entire  new  creation  to  a 
building,  with  Jesus  as  the  chief  corner-stone  and  the 
ether  members  of  the  body  as  built  up  in  harmony 
with  him.  He  saj^s:  *^If  so  be  ye  have  tasted  that  the 
Lord  is  gracious.  [Those  who  have  been  begotten  of 
the  holy  spirit  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious.] 
To  whom  coming,  as  unto  a  living  stone,  disallowed 
indeed  of  men,  but  chosen  of  God,  and  precious,  ye 
also,  as  living  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house, 
an  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  sacrifices,  acceptable 
to  God  by  Jesus  Christ.  AVherefcre  also  it  is  con- 
tained in  the  scripture.  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  a  chief 
corner  stone,  elect,  precious :  and  he  that  believeth  on 
him  shall  not  be  confounded.  Unto  you  therefore 
v/hich  believe  he  is  precious :  but  unto  them  which  be 
disobedient,  the  stone  which  the  builders  disallowed, 
the  same  is  made  the  head  of  the  corner,  and  a  stone 
of  stumbling,  and  a  rock  of  offense,  even  to  them 
which  stumble  at  the  word,  being  disobedient." — 
1  Peter  2 :  3-8. 

485  Paraphrasing  these  words,  the  apostle  states 
that  Jesus  is  the  chief  corner-stone.  He  is  the  Head  of 
the  elect ;  he  is  the  precious  One.  Those  who  believe  on 
him,  to  such  he  is  precious;  and  those  who  hold  fast 
to  that  belief  shall  not  be  confounded.  To  believe 
means  to  act  by  fully  consecrating  oneself  to  do  the 
Lord's  will.  This  great  One,  the  Lord  Jesus,  has  been 
and  is  a  stumbling-stone  and  a  rock  of  offense  to  tliose 
who  have  not  believed.  Those  who  have  not  appre- 


294 


The  Harp  of  God 


ciated  the  fact  that  he  is  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord 
of  lords,  and  that  it  is  a  privilege  to  suffer  with  him, 
have  been  offended  and  turned  away  from  him.  It  is 
a  great  privilege  to  suffer  with  Christ.  ''For  unto 
you  it  is  given  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only  to 
believe  on  him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake." — 
Philippians  1 :  29. 

480  rpi^^  Christian  stands  by  faith  in  Christ,  hoping 
for  the  time  when  he  may  be  fully  approved  and 
enter  into  Jehovah's  presence.  He  must  be  a  worker 
together  with  God;  therefore  he  must  do  something. 
To  this  end  it  is  written:  ''And  for  this  very  thing 
also,  using  all  diligence,  superadd  to  your  faith  forti- 
tude, and  to  fortitude  Imowledge,  and  to  knowledge 
self-control,  and  to  self-control  patience,  and  to  pa- 
tience piety,  and  to  piety  brotherly-kindness,  and  to 
brotherly-lvindness  love. ' ' — 2  Peter  1 :  5-7,  Diaglott. 

The  Christian,  having  engaged  to  be  a  follower 
of  Jesus,  must  take  his  stand  on  the  side  of  God  and 
be  manly,  firm  and  stediast,  refusing  to  compromise 
with  any  part  of  the  De^drs  organization;  and  there- 
by he  adds  virtue  to  his  faith.  Pie  must  walk  in  the 
light,  as  the  light  increases  from  God 's  Word,  hy  study- 
ing his  Yford;  and  therefore  he  grows  in  knowledge. 

He  must  add  temperance,  which  means  self-con- 
trol. An  unstable  man  is  controlled  by  others.  The 
Christian  must  be  controlled  by  the  Word  of  God, 
and  therefore  he  must  keep  himself  as  the  Word  of 
of  God  directs.  He  must  have  patience,  which  means 
constancy  in  the  performance  of  his  duty  and  endur- 
ing hardship  as  a  good  soldier.  He  must  do  so  v/ith 
an  inward  joy,  knowing  that  his  course  is  right  and 
pleasing  to  God.  He  must  add  godliness,  and  that 
means  a  constant  and  faithful  devotion  to  the  course 
of  righteousness.  It  means  a  sincere  perseverance  in 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


295 


doing  what  is  pointed  out  by  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 
He  must  also  manifest  brotherly-kindness,  which 
means  an  unselfish  interest  in  watching  for  oppor- 
tunities to  help  his  brethren. 

Above  all,  says  the  apostle,  he  must  add  love. 
That  is  the  sum  total  of  what  must  be  done  in  the 
performance  of  the  Christian's  duty.  Love  means  the 
perfect  expression  of  unselfishness.  To  add  love,  then, 
means  to  be  completely  and  unselfishly  devoted  to  the 
Lord  God  and  to  liis  cause  of  righteousness.  * '  By  this 
we  know  that  we  love  the  children  of  God,  when  we 
love  God  and  practise  his  commandments.  For  this  is 
the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  his  commandments ;  and 
his  commandments  are  not  burdensome.''  (1  John 
5 :  2,  3,  Diaglott)  One  who  diligently  follows  the  di- 
vinely-given instruction  thus  puts  forth  his  best  en- 
deavors to  perform  his  covenant  with  God,  and  so  do- 
ing to  the  end  will  receive  an  abundant  entrance  into 
the  kingdom. 

^^^^  James  says:  "Take,  my  brethren,  the  prophets, 
who  have  spoken  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  for  an 
example  of  suffering  affliction,  and  of  patience." 
(James  5 : 10)  The  prophets  of  old  suffered  much  and 
they  wall  not  be  privileged  to  be  a  part  of  this  heav- 
enly kingdom  class ;  but  their  suffering  was  for  a  two- 
fold purpose:  (1)  to  prove  them,  which  will  result 
to  their  benefit  when  they  are  resurrected  as  perfect 
men;  and  (2)  to  serve  as  examples  for  the  church, 
the  followers  of  Jesus. 

Jesus  said:  **And  from  the  days  of  John  the 
Baptist  until  now  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth 
violence,  and  the  \aolent  take  it  by  force."  (Matthew 
11 : 12)  Here  he  showed  that  the  kingdom-of -heaven 
class,  meaning  the  royal  family,  suffers  violence  at 
the  hands  of  the  adversaiy's  instruments,  and  the 


205 


The  Harp  of  God 


violent  ones  take  these  by  force.  It  was  so  of  him; 
it  lias  been  so  of  his  followers,  as  Paul  writes:  "Our 
liope  of  you  is  stedfast,  knowing  that  as  ye  are  par- 
takers of  the  suiierinjjs,  so  shall  ye  be  also  of  the  con- 
solation."—2  Corinthians  1:7. 

But  why  should  the  Christian  sulTer?  you  may 
ask.  And  the  apostles  answer:  ''Belo%'ed,  think  it  not 
strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  vvhich  is  to  try  you, 
as  though  some  strange  thing  happened  unto  you :  but 
rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's  suf- 
ferings; that,  when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye 
may  be  glad  also  with  exceeding  joy.  If  ye  be  re- 
proached for  the  name  of  Christ,  happy  are  ye;  for 
the  spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  restcth  upon  you:  on 
their  part  he  is  evil  spoken  of,  but  on  your  part  he  is 
glorified.  .  .  .  Yet  if  any  man  suffer  as  a  Christian, 
let  him  not  be  ashamed ;  but  let  him  glorify  God  on 
this  behalf."  (1  Peter  4:  12-14,  16)  ''It  became  him, 
for  Vfhom  are  all  things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things, 
in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the  cap- 
tain of  their  salvation  perfect  through  suiTorings.  For 
both  he  that  sanctifieth  and  they  who  are  sanctified, 
are  all  of  one:  for  which  cause  he  is  not  ashamed  to 
call  them  brethren." — Hebrews  2: 10, 11. 

Again  the  Apostle  Paul  shov/s  that  the  Christian 
does  not  complain  because  of  persecution  and  suffer- 
ing ;  neither  does  he  murmur  against  God.  But  the  true 
sentiment  of  his  heart  is  expressed  in  the  words  of  the 
apostle:  ''We  glory  in  tribulations  also:  knowing  that 
tribulation  worketh  patience;  and  patience,  experi- 
ence ;  and  experience,  hope ;  and  hope  maketh  not 
ashamed;  because  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in 
our  hearts  by  the  holy  spirit  which  is  given  unto  us. '  * 
(Romans  5:3-5)  Again  says  the  apostle:  "I  reckon 
that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


2Q7 


to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  re- 
vealed in  us. ' ' — Romans  8 : 18. 

No  true  Christian  would  expect  to  be  without 
suffering  or  chastisements  from  the  Lord,  because 
these  are  evidences  that  he  is  a  follower  of  Jesus  and 
a  son  of  God.  It  is  one  of  the  waj^s  in  wliixjh  the  spirit 
of  the  Lord  testifies  to  us  that  we  are  his.  (Hebrews 
12:2-11;  Romans  8:16,17)  These  sufferings  of  the 
Christian  come  from  various  agencies.  The  Christian 
suffers  by  being  misunderstood.  His  motives  are  pre- 
sumed to  be  wrong.  He  is  sometimes  charged  with 
sedition  because  he  does  not  desire  to  join  with  peo- 
ples of  the  world  in  engaging  in  war  to  destroy  hu- 
man lives;  sometimes  persecuted  by  false  brethren, 
and  sometimes  by  those  who  are  ignorant.  But  all 
these  afflictions  he  patiently  endures,  gladl}^ 

Paul  probably  suffered  as  much  as  or  more  than 
any  other  follower  of  Christ.  He  suffered  shipwreck 
and  imprisonment,  his  back  was  flogged  on  three  occa- 
sions at  least,  he  was  stoned  and  dragged  out  by  the 
wayside  and  left  for  dead ;  and  notwithstanding  all 
these  afflictions  he  wrote:  "For  our  light  afiliction, 
which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more 
exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory ;  while  we  look 
not  at  the  things  vrhich  are  seen,  but  at  the  things 
which  are  not  seen."  (2  Corinthians  4:17,18)  He 
was  looking  forward  to  the  glory  that  shall  follow,  as 
should  all  Christians,  not  only  some  glory,  but  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory.  The 
Christian  delights  to  meditate  upon  the  promises 
given  in  God's  Word  concerning  this  glory. 

PROMISES 

496  rJ^^Q  great  promise  set  before  the  church  is  that 
of  eternal  life,  being  for  ever  with  the  Lord.  Address- 


298 


The  Harp  of  God 


in^  these,  Paul  wrote:  *'Gcd  -^vill  render  to  every  man 
according  to  his  deeds:  to  them  who,  by  patient  con- 
tinuance in  well  doing-,  seek  for  glory  and  honour  and 
immortality,  eternal  life."  (Romans  2:6,7)  It  is  to 
be  noticed  that  those  \vho  are  looking  for  that  great 
reward  patiently  continue  in  doing  well ;  that  is  to 
say,  they  cheerfully  endure  whatsoever  experiences 
come,  while  they  continue  to  walk  in  the  Master's 
footstexjs.  Let  us,  then,  examine  some  of  the  texts 
setting  forth  God's  precious  promises  relative  to  the 
glory  and  honor  that  shall  be  the  portion  of  the 
church  in  liis  great  arrangement. 

Glory  is  the  term  used  to  describe  J ehovah 's 
presence.  It  suggests  the  brightness  of  the  divine 
person.  Glory  is  associated  with  God's  holiness. 
(Isaiah  6:1-4)  Our  Lord  Jesus  is  mentioned  as  the 
'brightness  of  God's  glory'.  He  is  also  spoken  of  as 
being  'the  express  image  of  the  Father',  and  we  are 
told  that  he  is  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father.  (He- 
brews 1:3)  The  144,000  m.embers  of  his  body  are 
to  be  ^vith  him  in  his  throne  and  in  the  Father's 
presence,  thus  in  glory.  (Revelation  3:21)  This 
glory  that  they  shall  enjoy  will  be  so  transcendently 
more  wonderful  than  all  the  tilings  of  earth  that 
could  be  glorious,  that  Paul  describes  it  as  a  **far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory".  The 
members  of  the  church  while  undergoing  development 
bear  the  image  of  the  earthly.  Imperfect  human  be- 
ings they  are,  with  imperfect  bodies  and  minds.  But 
the  promise  to  them  is:  **As  we  have  borne  the  image 
of  the  earthly,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the 
heavenly." — 1  Corinthians  15:49. 

488  Yj^qtj^  the  time  of  Pentecost  until  the  coming  of 
the  Lord,  those  dear  and  faithful  saints  who  died  in 
Christ  slept  and  waited  for  his  coming;  but  as  the 


Glorification  of  the  Church  299 


apostle  says,  these  would  be  the  first  to  be  honored 
with  an  awakening  from  the  dead.  Hence  we  under- 
stand that  shortly  after  the  second  appearing  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  at  the  time  of  his  coming  to  his 
temple,  these  dead  saints  in  Christ  were  resurrected 
and  caught  up  with  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  air,  to  be 
for  ever  with  him,  as  stated  by  the  apostle. — 1  Thessa- 
lonians  4 : 16, 17. 

Those  remaining,  who  had  not  died  up  to  the 
time  of  the  Lord's  appearing,  but  who  since  die  as 
do  other  men,  have  their  change  instantaneously. 
Their  resurrection  is  instantaneous,  as  Paul  plainly 
says:  Behold,  I  shew  you  a  mj^stery:  We  shall  not 
all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump :  for  the 
trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  in- 
corruptible, and  we  shall  be  changed.  '*  (1  Corinthians 
15:51,52)  These  are  the  blessed  ones  of  the  Lord 
because  they  participate  in  the  first  or  chief  resurrec- 
tion and  thereafter  reign  v/ith  Christ.  (Revelation 
20:6)  These  promises,  then,  are  to  the  effect  that 
they  shall  be  for  ever  with  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the 
presence  of  Jehovah :  therefore  in  glory.  Jehovah  for 
centuries  has  been  preparing  this  class,  the  new  crea- 
tion, "that  he  might  make  known  the  riches  of  his 
glory  on  the  vessels  of  mercy,  which  he  had  afore 
prepared  unto  glory,  even  us,  whom  he  hath  called.'' 
—Romans  9 :  23,  24. 

It  is  customary  for  the  royal  family  of  a  nation 
to  have  in  possession  the  choicest  jewels  of  that  nation. 
These  jewels  are  kept  in  the  presence  of  the  king,  that 
they  might  be  admired  by  him.  Concerning  those  who 
shall  constitute  the  new  creation,  the  church,  the 
prophet  of  God  wrote:  **They  shall  be  mine,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  that  day  when  I  make  up  my 


300 


The  Harp  of  God 


jewels;  and  I  ^vill  spare  them,  as  a  man  sparetli  his 
own  son  that  serveth  him."  (j^Ialachi  3:17)  That 
these  shall  be  admired  by  the  Lord  Jehovah  as  the 
zenith  of  his  glorious  creation  is  indicated  by  the 
prophet  vrho  writes:  *'Thoii  shalt  also  be  a  cro',vn  of 
glory  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  a  royal  diadem  in 
the  hand  of  thy  God/'— Isaiah  62:  3. 

^'^^  Those  who  by  patient  continuance  in  well  doing 
battle  faithfully  unto  the  end  have  the  precious  prom- 
ise of  being  made  a  part  of  the  temple  of  God ;  hence 
vrill  be  in  his  prci^ence.  "Him  that  overcometh  will 
I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  Gcd ;  and  he  shall 
go  no  more  out:  and  I  will  v/rite  upon  him  the  name 
of  my  God,  and  the  name  of  the  city  of  my  God, 
which  is  New  Jerusalem,  which  eomxCth  down  out  of 
heaven  from  my  Gcd :  and  I  will  write  upon  liim  my 
new  name. ' ' — Revelation  3 : 12. 

502  rpj^g  brightness  and  glory  of  the  earth  is  the  sun, 
which  illuminates  and  gives  life  to  the  things  of  earth. 
Scientists  declare  that  this  light  is  produced  by  ex- 
plosive gas  which  ascends  from  the  sun  to  a  height  of 
from  5,G0O  to  300,000  miles.  It  is  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament ;  and  the  glory  in  the  presence  of  Jeho- 
vah is  illustrated  by  this  brightness,  as  indicated  by 
the  prophet:  '^They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  tlie 
brightness  of  the  firmament.''  (Daniel  12:3)  The 
wise  ones  are  those  v/ho  devote  themselves  to  under- 
standing and  doing  Jehovah's  will.  They  are  the 
righteous  ones,  who  have  been  made  so  through  the 
merit  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  whom  he  gathers  in  during 
his  presence.  Y/hen  these  enter  into  the  glorious  pres- 
ence of  Jehovah,  "then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth 
as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father." — Mat- 
thew 13 : 43. 


Gloiification  of  the  Church  301 


''^^  It  was  Jesus  who  said  to  his  disciples:  *'In  my 
Father 's  house  are  many  mansions :  if  it  were  not  so, 
I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  .  .  .  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also." 
(John  14:2,3)  The  promise  here  is,  then,  that  a 
special  habitation  shall  be  prepared  for  the  church, 
which  habitation  will  be  in  the  glorious  presence  of 
the  Lord  Jehovah.  This  holy  or  heavenly  kingdom 
class,  the  royal  family,  is  spoken  of  as  Zion,  and  of  it 
the  prophet  of  the  Lord  wrote:  ''The  Lord  hath 
chosen  Zion;  he  hath  desired  it  for  his  habitation.'* 
(Psalm  132 : 13)  Of  its  beauty  and  glory  the  psalmist 
wrote:  **Out  of  Zion,  the  perfection  of  beauty,  God 
hath  shined.''  (Psalm  50:2)  Jehovah  will  shine 
forth  through  the  new  creation  for  the  blessing  of  all 
the  families  of  the  earth.  The  glory  to  be  experienced 
by  the  church  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah  will  bring 
unspeakable  joy;  for  'in  his  presence  is  fulness  of 
joy;  at  his  iright  hand  there  are  pleasures  for  ever- 
more'.— Psalm  16:11. 

In  the  glorious  presence  of  J ehovah,  we  may  bo 
sure  that  all  will  be  his  friends;  and  as  an  induce- 
ment to  strive  for  that  place  his  prophet  wrote:  "He 
that  loveth  with  a  pure  heart  and  hath  grace  upon 
his  lips  will  have  the  king  as  his  friend"  (Proverbs 
22:11,  Leeser),  and  he  will  be  sure  of  being  loved 
for  evermore. — Proverbs  17 : 17. 

505  f/Q'fiQr  applies  more  to  a  recognized  station  or 
position  in  God's  arrangement.  Always  glorious,  God 
is  honored  in  the  minds  of  his  creatures  who  worship 
him.  The  position  of  the  glorified  church  will  be  that 
of  the  bride  of  Christ,  for  ever  with  him ;  and  he  be- 
ing at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  their  position 
will  be  one  of  great  honor.  The  special  honor,  there- 
fore, of  the  church  is  that  of  being  the  glorious  bride 


302 


The  Harp  of  God 


or  associate  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  King  of  glory. 
His  recognition  of  her  station  as  his  own  wife  pic- 
tures the  superlative  degree  of  her  honor  and  glory. 
Jesus  said:  ''Father,  I  will  .  .  .  that  they  be  w^ith  me 
where  I  am."— John  17:24. 

^^•^  Of  Jesus  it  is  written  that  he  is  the  *  express 
im^agc  of  the  Father'  (Hebrews  1:3);  and  that  he  is 
the  beloved  Bridegroom  and  Friend  of  the  body  mem- 
bers of  the  church.  (Canticles  5:  IG)  Now  it  does  not 
appear  what  the  church  shall  be,  but,  says  John, 
'Svc  knov;  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be 
,like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  (1  John 
3:2)  God  **hath  appointed  [him]  heir  of  all  things". 
(Hebrews  1:2)  These  children  of  God,  members  of 
the  body  of  Christ,  are  "heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs 
with  Christ"  in  all  the  glory  and  honor  of  his  posi- 
tion.— Romans  8  :  17. 

When  Jehovah  took  away  from  Israel  the  right 
to  rule,  he  promised  to  give  it  to  him  v/hose  right  it 
is,  the  great  Messiah,  when  he  should  come.  (Ezekicl 
21:27)  Of  him  the  prophet  of  God  wrote:  ''Aiid 
there  was  given  him  a  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a 
kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations,  and  languages 
should  serve  him:  his  dominion  is  an  everlasting 
dominion,  v/hieh  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  king- 
dom that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed.  And  the  king- 
dom and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom 
under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  whose  kingdom  is  an 
everlasting  kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall  serve 
and  obey  him."  (Daniel  7:14,27)  To  his  disciples 
Jesus  promised  that  they  should  share  his  kingdom, 
Raying,  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father 
hath  appointed  unto  me;  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink 


Glorification  of  the  Church  303 


at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones,  judg- 
ing the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  "—Luke  22:  29,  30. 

"'"'^^  As  Jesus  the  bridegroom  will  be  the  great  King 
of  glory  to  rule  over  the  nations,  so  the  members  of  ^ 
the  body,  the  bride,  the  overcomers,  are  promised  that , 
they  with  him  shall  have  *'pov/er  over  the  nations". . 
—Revelation  2 :  26.  f 

509  Throughout  the  Millennial  age  not  only  will  the 
position  of  the  bride  be  that  of  associate  with  Christ 
J esus  in  the  kingdom,  but  her  position  in  all  the  ages 
to  come  will  be  one  of  honor.  Paul  writes  that  God 
**hath  raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit  together' 
in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus ;  that  in  the  ages ' 
to  come  he  might  show  the  exceeding  riches  of  his 
grace,  in  his  kindness  toward  us  through  Christ  Je- 
sus".— Ephesians  2:  6,  7. 

When  Jesus  was  in  the  earth  he  was  despised 
and  rejected  of  men.  He  was  dishonored  of  men,  and 
has  since  been  dishonored  of  all  except  those  who  have . 
come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  time  will  come, ' 
however,  as  the  apostle  declares,  when  'every  knee 
shall  bow,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father'. 
(Philii)pians  2:7-11)  The  members  of  his  body,  the 
truly  consecrated  children  of  God,  following  in  the 
footsteps  of  their  Master  have  been  despised  of  men, 
have  been  counted  as  the  offscourings  of  the  earth, 
have  been  persecuted  and  imprisoned,  and  many  of 
them  killed ;  and  the  world  has  known  them  not,  even 
as  it  laiew  him  not.  But  in  due  time  all  those  born  in 
the  glorious  kingdom  of  our  Lord  will  be  honored 
among  men,  because  manltind  will  know  of  their  posi- 
tion, as  it  is  written :  *  *  Of  Zion  it  shall  be  said,  'This 
and  that  man  was  born  in  her;  and  the  Highest  him- 
self shall  establish  her.  The  Lord  shall  count,  when 


o04 


TJie  Ilarp  of  God 


he  Y/riteth  up  the  people,  that  this  man  was  born 
there.''  (Psalm  87:5,6)  Then  shall  the  people  re- 
joice that  it  has  pleased  the  heavenly  Father  to  select 
out  from  amongst  poor,  imperfect  men  the  144,000, 
and  to  make  them  perfect  through  Christ  Jesus.  He 
will  cause  the  peoples  of  earth  to  honor  them,  as  he 
has  promised:  "I  will  make  thy  name  to  be  remem- 
bered in  all  generations;  therefore  shall  the  people 
praise  thee  for  ever  and  ever." — Psalm  45:17. 

The  apostle  says  also  that  these  are  seeking 
immortality.  That  word  here  means  incorruptibility ; 
a  condition  not  subject  to  death.  The  Messianic  class, 
head  and  body,  v/ill  not  be  subject  to  decay,  sickness, 
or  death.  Even  a  perfect  human  being  requires  nour- 
ishment to  sustain  his  organism;  but  the  exalted 
church,  the  ^lessiah,  the  Christ,  vvill  need  nothing  in 
the  waj^  of  food  to  replenish  any  powers,  because  their 
powers  will  not  be  exliausted.  These  will  have  life 
in  themselves  in  such  an  abundant  measure  that  they 
can  give  it  out,  and  will  give  it  out,  and  still  need  no 
replenishing.  Of  himself  Jesus  declared:  *'As  the 
Father  hath  life  in  himself,  so  hath  he  given  the  Son 
to  have  life  in  himself .  "—John  5:  26;  4: 14. 

This  same  promise  is  made  to  those  who  partici- 
pate in  his  sacriiicial  death.  (John  6:53,54)  These 
have  the  promise  that  they  shall  be  partakers  of  the 
divine  nature  (2  Peter  1:4),  and  thus  shall  have 
power  to  give  life  unto  others.  The  great  prize  that  is 
here  to  be  given  is  eternal  life ;  and  immortality  is  that 
quality  of  eternal  life  that  is  indestructible.  To  those 
v/ho  have  entered  into  relationship  with  the  Lord 
through  Christ,  he  says:  ''Be  thou  faitliful  unto 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."  (Revela- 
tion 2:10)  And  again  says  James:  Blessed  is  the 
man  that  endureth  temptation  [trial] ;  for  when  he 


Glorification  of  the  Church  305 


is  tried,  he  shall  receive  the  crown  of  life,  which  the 
Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  him." — 
James  1 : 12. 

When  one  is  begotten  to  membership  in  the  body 
of  Christ,  he  has  new  hopes,  new  ambitions,  and  new 
aspirations.  He  looks  forv/ard,  not  to  the  glorious 
things  of  the  earth,  bnt  to  the  glory  and  honor  of 
being  with  the  Lord  and  serving  in  the  capacity  in 
which  the  Lord  places  him.  He  has  in  mind  the  words 
of  Paul :  Your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  When 
Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  we 
also  appear  with  him  in  glorj^" — Colossians  3:  3,  4. 

David,  being  a  type  of  the  church,  prophetically 
wrote  concerning  the  church,  and  his  words  apply  in 
a  broader  sense  to  the  church.  He  expressed  the 
heart's  desire  of  the  members  of  the  body  of  Christ: 
''One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,  that  will  I 
seek  after ;  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
all  the  days  of  my  life,  to  behold  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  inquire  in  his  temple."  (Psalm  27:4) 
Here  he  has  hope  of  the  glory  of  dwelling  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  in  his  presence,  beholding  his 
beauty  and  acquiring  knowledge  concerning  his  great 
plan. 

Again  David  represents  the  church  as  in  the 
presence  of  Jehovah,  enjoying  the  glory  and  honor 
that  will  be  granted  to  those  Avho  participate  in  the 
first  resurrection.  Of  this  in  beautiful  poetic  phrase 
he  writes:  **The  Idng  shall  joy  in  thy  strength,  O 
Lord;  and  in  thy  salvation  how  greatly  shall  he  re- 
joice! Thou  hast  given  him  his  heart's  desire,  and 
hast  not  withholden  the  request  of  his  lips.  Selah. 
For  thou  preventest  him  with  the  blessings  of  good- 
ness: thou  settest  a  crown  of  pure  gold  on  his  head. 
He  asked  life  of  thee,  and  thou  gavest  it  him,  even 


30G 


The  Harp  of  God 


length  of  days  for  ever  and  ever.  His  glory  is  great 
in  thy  salvation:  honour  and  majesty  hast  thou  laid 
upon  him.  For  thou  hast  made  him  most  blessed  for 
ever:  tliou  hast  made  him  exceeding  glad  with  thy 
countenance. ' ' — Psalm  21 : 1-6. 

What  a  contrast  in  the  eyes  of  the  peoj^le  be- 
tv/een  the  man  Christ  Jesus  who  suiiered  ignominy 
at  the  hands  of  the  Jews  and  the  Christ  Jesus  glori- 
fied, the  brightness  of  wliose  glory  shines  above  that 
of  the  brightness  at  noonday !  Great  will  be  tlie  honor 
and  dignity  in  the  minds  of  the  people  of  the  position 
of  Jesus  Christ  when  all  have  come  to  know  the  Lord. 
What  a  great  contrast  between  the  body  of  humilia- 
tion and  the  body  of  glory!  These  members  of  the 
body,  as  the  prophet  beautifully  expresses  it,  were 
*  digged  from  the  pit  and  he-vvn  from  the  rock*. 
(Isaiah  51: 1)  They  have  trudged  along  the  narrow 
v/ay,  suffering  at  the  hands  of  Satan  and  his  seed. 
But  all  the  v/ay  they  have  had  these  precious  prom- 
ises of  what  would  be  the  result,  amongst  which  is 
this  promise:  ''Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold, 
mine  elect,  in  whom  my  soul  delighteth ;  I  have  put 
my  spirit  upon  him;  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment 
to  the  Gentiles.  "—Isaiah  42:1. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  world  these  die  like  ordinary 
men ;  yet  they  really  fall  like  Prince  Jesus.  (Psalm 
82 :  7)  Paul,  discussing  the  humiliation  of  the  clmrch 
this  side  the  vail,  and  contrasting  it  with  the  glory 
on  the  other  side,  said:  ''There  is  one  glory  of  the 
sun,  and  another  glory  of  the  moon,  and  another 
glory  of  the  stars :  for  one  star  differeth  from  another 
star  in  glory.  So  also  is  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  It  is  sowa  in  corruption;  it  is  raised  in 
incorruption.  It  is  sown  in  dishonour;  it  is  raised  in 
glory.  It  is  sown  in  weakness;  it  is  raised  in  power. 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


307 


It  is  sown  a  natural  body;  it  is  raised  a  spiritual 
body. ' ' — 1  Corinthians  15 :  41-44. 

Vv'e  have  now  come  to  tlie  time  in  which  these 
members  of  the  body  have  their  change  instantaneous- 
ly. One  moment  they  are  sown  in  corruption ;  the 
next,  raised  in  incorruption.  One  moment  in  dishonor; 
the  next  in  glory.  One  moment  in  weakness ;  the  next 
in  power.  When  the  church  is  finished  and  all  of  the 
144,000  members  are  v/ith  the  Lord,  **then  shall  be 
brought  to  pass  the  saying  th.at  is  written,  Death  is 
swallov/ed  up  in  victory.  0  death,  where  is  thy  sting? 
O  grave,  v/here  is  thy  victory?"  (1  Corinthians 
15:54,55)  Then  it  will  be  that  all  composing  that 
class  will  enjoy  glory,  honor,  immortality,  even 
eternal  life. 

APPROACHING  THE  KINGDOM 

''^^  It  is  certain  that  the  time  must  come  when  all 
those  composing  the  body  of  Christ  v/ill  have  finished 
their  course  on  this  side  the  vail  and  passed  into 
heavenly  glory ;  and  since  the  Lord  promised  that  his 
second  presence  would  be  for  the  purpose  of  gather- 
ing unto  himself  those  who  would  compose  his  bride, 
we  should  expect  the  glorification  of  the  church  to 
take  place  wdthin  a  reasonably  short  time  after  the 
second  presence  of  the  Lord.  The  Apostle  Paul's 
mind  was  illuminated  by  the  power  of  Jehovah,  the 
holy  spirit ;  and  he  wrote  concerning  the  coming  king- 
dom of  T.Iessiah,  describing  conditions  that  would  im- 
mediately precede  its  inauguration. 

At  Mount  Sinai  J ehovah  confirmed  his  covenant 
with  the  nation  of  Israel,  and  at  the  time  of  inaugu- 
rating this  covenant  God  directed  Moses  to  instruct 
the  people,  to  prepare  them  for  what  was  about  to 
take  place.  When  Moses  came  down,  out  of  the  moun- 


308 


The  Harp  of  God 


tain  to  deliver  God's  message  to  Israel,  it  was  amidst 
a  great  convulsion  of  nature.  There  were  thunders 
and  lightnings,  and  a  thick  cloud  of  smoke  upon  the 
mountain,  and  the  voice  of  a  trumpet  exceeding  loud, 
so  that  the  people  in  the  camp  trembled  v/ith  fear, 
and  the  whole  earth  quaked  greatly.  This  was  a  pic- 
ture foreshadomng  the  time  of  trouble  in  the  earth, 
the  great  shaking  of  the  nations  just  before  the  in- 
auguration of  [Messiah 's  Idngdom  and  the  taking  unto 
himself  of  his  bride  for  the  setting  up  of  his  king- 
dom. Paul,  referring  to  that  time,  by  way  of  com- 
parison says :  "Ye  are  not  come  unto  the  mount  that 
miglit  be  touched,  and  that  burned  with  fire,  nor  unto 
blaclaiess,  and  darlmess,  and  tempest,  and  the  sound 
of  a  trumpet,  and  the  voice  of  words;  which  voice 
they  that  heard,  entreated  that  the  word  should  not 
be  spoken  to  them  any  more  (for  they  could  not  en- 
dure that  which  was  commanded,  And  if  so  much  as 
a  beast  touch  the  mountain,  it  shall  be  stoned,  or 
thrust  through  with  a  dart ;  and  so  terrible  was  the 
sight,  that  IVIoses  said,  I  exceedingly  fear  and 
quake)."— Hebrews  12:18-21. 

We  should  expect,  then,  an  antitypical  fulfil- 
ment of  tliese  conditions.  And  so  we  do  find  it.  The 
mountains  (symbolically  meaning  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world)  are  on  fire,  and  there  is  a  great  tempest, 
and  trouble,  and  disturbance  in  the  earth;  and  so 
terrible  is  the  time  that  men 's  hearts  are  failing  them 
for  fear  of  what  they  see  coming  on  the  earth.  Speak- 
ing of  that  time,  and  directing  his  words  to  the 
church,  Paul  \vrote :  * '  Ye  are  come  unto  mount  Sion, 
and  unto  the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumerable  company  of  angels, 
to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  firstborn, 
which  are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge 


Glorification  of  the  Church  303 


of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect, 
and  to  Jesus  tlie  mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  and 
to  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  that  speakcth  better  things 
than  that  of  Abel."— Hebrews  12:  22-24. 

Thus  Paul  pictures  the  gathering  together  of 
those  who  compose  the  official  members  of  Messiah's 
kingdom,  namely,  the  church,  Head  and  body.  He 
describes  this  as  the  heavenly  Jerusalem. 

That  the  peoples  of  earth  and  the  creatures  of 
heaven  might  ever  have  in  remembrance  the  importance 
of  this  great  day  in  which  we  are  now  living  God  is 
manifesting  his  power  and  his  justice  through  liis 
dealings  with  the  nations,  and  in  due  time  the  people 
will  learn  to  appreciate  the  love  of  God. 

What  a  marvelously  wonderful  time  now  to  be 
■  on  the  earth !  Four  thousand  years  ago  holy  men 
looked  down  to  the  time  when  God's  kingdom  might 
come,  but  they  could  not  understand  it.  The  angels  of 
heaven  were  not  permitted  to  know.  J.Iany  of  these 
faithful  men  v/ere  martyrs  to  the  cause  of  righteous- 
ness. Gloved  hj  the  spirit  of  Jehovah,  they  wrote 
concerning  the  Idngdom.  The  psalmist  composed  songs 
and  sang  of  the  coming  blessed  day.  For  nineteen 
hundred  years  Christians  have  been  trudging  along 
the  narrow  way.  And  now  it  can  be  truly  said.  The 
Lord  is  present ;  the  Lord  reigneth !  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand! 

Necessarily  the  members  of  the  body  this  side 
the  vail  are  looking  forward  with  anticipation  to  their 
change,  when  they  may  put  off  this  mortal  and  be 
clothed  upon  vnth  immortality,  and  be  caught  up  to 
be  for  ever  with  the  Lord,  and  by  him  be  presented 
to  the  great  Jehovah.  When  all  the  members  of  the 
body  have  passed  beyond  the  vail,  then  in  Gcd's  due 
time  they  will  be  presented  by  the  Lord  Jesus  before 


310 


The  Harp  of  God 


the  presence  of  Jehovah.  Since  we  are  so  close  to  that 
time,  let  us  now  assume  in  our  minds  that  we  are 
standing  just  beyond  the  vail  and  that  we  are  getting 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  glories  of  the  Idngdom. 

^-^  Whom  would  the  true  Christian  expect  to  meet 
first  in  the  Idngdom?  Necessarily  he  would  look  for 
some  one  who  had  been  a  special  friend  to  him  during 
the  time  of  his  humiliation.  If  a  person  who  expected 
to  be  presented  to  an  earthly  king  or  potentate  had 
an  acquaintance  or  friend  at  that  court,  he  would 
first  desire  to  consult  his  friend  and  receive  some  ad- 
vice and  suggestions  before  entering  the  presence  of 
the  noble  one.  Entering  heaven,  the  Christian  ex- 
pects to  see  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  ultimately  the  heav- 
enly Father,  according  to  the  promise.  As  the  Chris- 
tian looks  over  the  precious  promises  given  to  the 
church,  he  finds  many  assurances  that  he  has  had  an 
unseen  friend  during  liis  earthly  pilgrimage,  namely, 
his  guardian  angel.  Of  such  the  psalmist  wrote: 
* '  The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  round  about  them 
that  fear  him,  and  delivereth  them.''  (Psalm  34:7; 
Hebrev/s  1 : 14)  These  angels  are  douljstless  messen- 
gers for  Jehovah,  because  of  them  Jesus  said:  'In 
heaven  they  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father.  * 
— Matthew*^  18 : 10. 

Describing  the  conditions  and  events  in  connec- 
tion with,  the  general  assembly  of  the  church  of  the 
firstborn,  Paul  writes:  "Ye  are  come  ...  to  an  in- 
numerable company  of  angels.''  These  must  be  pure, 
lovable,  and  beautiful  in  form.  These  have  been  the 
ones  who  have  safeguarded  each  member  of  the 
body  of  Christ.  (Psalm  34:7)  It  v/ill  be  a  real  joy 
to  become  acquainted  vnth  these  precious  and  beauti- 
ful creatures  who  have  been  lielpers  of  the  Christians 
along  the  way.  It  would  be  expected  that  they  would 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


811 


render  assistance  to  the  one  just  appearing  in  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Therefore  it  is  not  un- 
reasonable to  anticipate  that  the  first  one  to  be  met 
beyond  the  vail  is  the  Christian's  guardian  angel. 

528  Xext  in  order  the  apostle  mentions  ''the  church 
of  the  firstborn '\  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head  of  this 
church,  the  great  King  of  glory.  Certainly  all  the 
body  members  will  be  eager  to  see  our  wonderful 
Lord,  who  redeemed  us  to  God  with  his  precious  blood. 
He  is  not  only  our  Redeemer  and  Advocate,  but 
our  Deliverer;  and  now  the  relationship  of  bride 
and  bridegroom  is  about  to  be  fully  consummated. 
How  thrilling  will  be  that  time!  By  long  and 
patient  continuance  in  well  doing,  their  experiences, 
by  the  grace  of  the  Lord  and  through  his  ministra- 
tion, have  perfected  every  one  of  the  body  for  this 
happy  time,  malring  each  member  beautiful.  "So 
shall  the  king  greatly  desire  thy  beauty :  for  he  is  thy 
Lord;  and  worsliip  thou  him.'*  Each  member  of  the 
bride  then  ^vill  be  permitted  to  see  Jesus  as  he  is  and 
will  then  be  like  him.  Happy  will  be  that  time. 
(1  John  3:2)  Every  one  of  these  Christians  has  had 
some  dear  fellow  Christian  friend  on  earth.  He  will 
be  looking  for  such  a  one,  doubtless,  when  he  arrives 
in  heaven.  Of  course  each  one  will  look  for  the  faith- 
ful apostles  whom  the  Lord  used  to  furnish  the  food 
to  the  household  of  faith.  Then  they  -wall  look  for 
others  whom  the  Lord  specially  used  as  teachers,  in- 
structors, and  servants  of  the  church,  who  were  loving 
and  land  and  ministered  to  the  wants  of  the  various 
members  and  did  it  joyfully. 

We  may  be  sure  that  of  all  those  who  are  there 
every  one  will  be  perfected  in  love,  because  the  apos- 
tle says  they  must  thus  be.  (Ephesians  4: 16;  Colos- 
sians  3 : 14)  We  may  expect  to  see  some  there  whom 


312 


The  Harp  of  God 


we  have  loved  and  may  be  disappointed  in  not  seeing 
them ;  but  no  Christian  vrill  ever  see  any  one  of  his 
fellow  Christians  in  heaven  except  those  viho  have 
loved  their  brethren  v/ith  a  pure  heart,  all  of  whom 
have  passed  through  the  fiery  trials  and  rejoiced  in 
the  experiences  that  the  Lord  brought  to  them.  Each 
one  of  the  members  of  the  divine  family  will  be  beau- 
'tiful,  for  all  will  be  like  the  Lord.  As  star  differs 
from  star  in  glory,  so  shall  the  various  members  differ 
in  that  glorious  realm.  But  what  a  marvelous  gath- 
ering that  wdll  be :  144,000  glorious  beings  assembling 
with  their  glorious  head  Christ  J esus ! 

All  united  together  w^th  theLord  Jesus,  it  seems, 
according  to  Paul,  that  the  next  in  order  vv^ould  be 
to  grant  unto  the  church  the  glory  that  is  promised, 
by  presenting  the  bride  class  before  the  great  divine 
throne  of  Jehovah.  Jude  informs  us  not  only  that  our 
Lord  keeps  the  members  of  the  body  from  falling, 
but  that  he  will  present  them  faultless  before  the  pres- 
ence of  Jehovah's  glory  witli  exceeding  joy. — Jude  24. 

The  day  approaclics  for  the  presentation  of  the 
bride.  In  vision  we  behold  an  innumerable  company 
of  angels  assembled  before  the  tlirone  of  God,  forming 
a  guard  of  honor.  The  heralds  of  heaven  vvith  golden 
trumpets  appear,  announcing  the  approach  of  the 
Bridegroom  with  his  bride.  Music  of  surpassing 
sweetness  fills  the  heavenly  courts.  All  ej^es  are  fixed 
upon  the  conquering  Hero,  the  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords,  the  great  Bridegroom,  who  now  ap- 
proaches with  his  bride  of  144.000  members.  The 
hosts  of  heaven  are  singing,  ''Hallelujah:  for  the 
Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth!  Let  us  be  glad  and 
rejoice,  and  give  honor  to  him;  for  the  marriage  of 
the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  "svife  hath  made  herself 
ready. ' ' — Revelation  19  :  6,  7. 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


313 


It  is  well  that  we  take  note  here  of  the  apparel 
of  the  bride  of  Christ  now  entering  glory.  ''And  to 
her  was  granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine 
linen,  clean  and  white."  (Revelation  19:8)  ''The 
Idng 's  daughter  is  all  glorious  within ;  her  clothing 
is  of  wrought  gold.  She  shall  be  brought  unto  the 
king  in  raiment  of  needlework."  (Psalm  45:13,14) 
Thus  in  symbolic  phrase  the  prophet  describes  her 
inherent  beauty  when  she  is  presented  faultless  before 
the  glorious  presence  of  Jehovah.  It  will  be  impos- 
sible for  human  words  to  approximate  the  grandeur 
and  the  majesty  of  that  scene.  Before  the  great  white 
throne  of  the  heavenly  Father,  bride  and  Bridegroom 
will  be  made  one,  and  the  glory  of  the  church  will  be 
complete.  There,  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  she  will 
have  fulness  of  joy  and  pleasures  for  evermore. 

"O  that  will  be  a  union 

Such  as  earth  has  never  known, 
When  bride  and  Bridegroom  are  made  one 

Before  the  great  white  throne." 

The  members  of  the  body  of  Christ  in  glory  will 
be  a  monument  of  the  grace  of  God,  because  thus  will 
be  demonstrated  the  power,  as  well  as  the  love,  of 
Jehovah  in  taking  insignificant  creatures  from  amongst 
men  and  exalting  them  to  the  highest  place  in  the 
universe,  next  to  the  Lord  Jesus.  Then  she  will  be 
held  forth  in  the  power  of  Jehovah,  exhibited  as  a 
crown  of  glory  in  his  hand,  and  be  used  by  him  to 
accomplish  that  which  he  purposed  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world.  As  the  glorified  bride  of  our  heav- 
enly Bridegroom,  clothed  with  honor  and  immortality, 
she  will  possess  life  everlasting,  inherent  life;  and 
with  her  Bridegroom  she  will  minister  life  and  bless- 
ing to  others. 


314 


The  Harp  of  God 


John  "had  a  vision  of  this  wonderful  royal  family 
of  heaven,  and  in  symbolic  language  he  described  it  as 
"the  holy  city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  cominf^  dov.Ti 
from  God  out  of  heaven".  (Revelation  21:1-5)  Thus 
he  depicts  the  approaching  kingdom  of  ]\iessiah.  In 
vision  he  saw  the  faithful  followers  of  Jesus  who  are 
still  on  tills  side  the  vail,  by  faith  beholding  the  ap- 
proach of  this  happy  time ;  and  he  describes  them  as 
those  who  had  gotten  the  victory  over  the  beast  [the 
Devil's  earthly  organization],  and  over  his  image, 
and  over  his  mark,  and  over  the  number  of  his  nam.e 
[whose  allegiance  is  wholly  to  the  Lord,  and  who], 
stand  on  the  sea  of  glass,  having  the  harps  of  God. 
And  they  sing  the  song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God 
[the  song  of  victory  foreshadowing  the  deliverance 
of  the  people  of  God],  and  the  song  of  the  Lamb 
[the  song  of  the  clear  fuliilment  of  prophecy  and  the 
unfolding  of  God's  plan,  as  set  forth  in  the  New 
Testament;  they  are  playing  upon  their  harps  and 
praising  Jehovah],  saying.  Great  and  marvellous  are 
thy  Vv'orks,  Lord  God  Almighty ;  just  and  true  are  thy 
ways,  thou  King  of  saints." — Kevelation  15:2,3. 


Define  the  word  "church".  H  4(i8. 
Of  what  does  the  church  of  Christ  consist?  ^  468. 
What  other  name  is  given  to  those  composing  the  church? 
%  4GS. 

AVhat  is  a  saint?  ^  468. 

How  are  those  composing  the  body  of  Christ  purified? 
%  468. 

What  is  meant  by  the  terms  "new  creature"  and  "new 
creation"?  %  468. 

How  is  nature  determined?  H  468. 

Who  ha.9  preeminence  in  the  divine  plan?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  H  408. 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


315 


When  did  the  new  creation  have  its  beginning?  ^  469. 
What  occurred  with  reference  to  Jesus  when  he  was 
thirty  years  of  age?  If  469. 
How  was  he  perfected  as  a  new  creature?  ^  469. 
Who  opposed  Jesus  from  the  time  of  his  baptism?  %  470. 
Why  this  opposition?  If  470. 

In  the  sentence  by  Jehovah,  as  set  forth  in  Genesis  3: 15, 
what  is  symbolized  by  the  woman?  If  470. 
Whom  did  Isaac  typify?  ^  470. 

Of  what  does  the  seed  of  the  serpent  consist?  Give  some 
Scriptural  proof.  If  470. 

What  is  tlie  disposition  of  the  seed  of  the  serpent?  If  470. 

Where  did  Jesus  go  immediately  following  his  baptism, 
and  for  what  purpose?  ^  471. 

To  what  temptation  was  he  subjected  shortly  thereafter? 
Give  the  Scriptural  account.  If  471. 

How  long  did  he  sufter  at  the  hands  of  Satan  and  his 
representatives?  ^  471. 

How  did  he  gain  the  victory?  %  471. 

How  did  .Jehovah  reward  Jesus  for  his  faithful  devotion 
to  the  divine  arrangement  even  unto  death?  %  471. 

What  scriptures  indicate  that  the  body  members  must 
follow  in  Ids  steps?  ^  471. 

Did  God  predestinate  or  foreordain  a  new  creation?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  If  472. 

What  is  meant  by  the  word  "world"  as  used  in  Ephesians 
1:4-9?  If  473. 

Did  God  foreordain  or  clioose  the  individuals  who  would 
compose  the  church?  Or  what  is  meant  by  his  foreknowl- 
edge? If  473. 

Should  we  expect  the  body  members  to  have  experiences 
similar  to  those  of  Jesus?  If  473. 

When  was  the  day  of  Pentecost?  ^  474. 

What  call  went  forth  to  the  Jews  from  that  time?  If  474. 

What  is  meant  by  the  call?  If  474. 

What  did  Jesus  say  about  the  number  called  and  chosen? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  474. 

How  long  was  this  call  confined  to  the  Jews?  If  474. 

Who  was  the  first  Gentile  to  receive  the  gospel?  Give 
the  Scriptural  account.  If  474. 

Thereafter  to  whom  did  the  call  extend?  If  474. 

Why  has  the  gospel  been  preached?  If  475. 

How  has  the  gospel  appeared  to  worldly-wise  men?  If  475, 


316 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  did  Paul  say  about  the  wisdom  of  this  world  and 
tl'.e  wisdom  of  God?  1  475. 

riow  did  the  Jews  as  a  people  receive  the  message  of 
Christ  and  him  crucified?  %  476. 

How  did  the  majority  of  the  Gentiles  receive  the  gospel? 
%  47G. 

What  proportion  of  the  wise  and  mighty  and  noble  are 
called  and  respond  to  the  call  of  the  gospel?  H  476. 

V\'hy  have  not  many  wise  and  noble  accepted  the  truth? 
%  476. 

How  has  the  call  impressed  the  humble-minded?  H  476. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  of  Jehovah's  invitation  to  become 
members  of  the  bride  class.  H  477. 

Why  can  tlie  church  be  called  the  daughter  of  God?  ^  478. 

Wl'.at  beauty  is  it  that  the  Lord  desires  In  the  body 
members?  1  478. 

Is  time  required  for  the  development  of  the  church?  \  479. 

What  can  be  said  about  death-bed  confessions?  ^  479. 

What  is  the  first  thing  to  do  to  become  a  Christian?  V  479. 

V/hat  is  meant  by  repentance?  \  479. 

What  is  meant  by  being  converted?  ^  479. 

After  conversion,  what  further  things  take  place  before 
one  becomes  a  nev/  creature?  \  479. 

Vv'hy  must  the  Christian  thereafter  pass  through  many 
varied  experiences?  1[  479. 

Why  are  children  in  school  required  to  have  hard  mental 
exercises?  H  480. 

Is  it  necessary  for  one  to  train  for  a  physical  contest? 
1  480. 

Why  is  it  necessary  for  a  new  creature  to  be  trained  and 
to  pass  through  experiences?  ^  480. 

AVhat  did  the  psalmist  say  concerning  the  standing  of  the 
new  creature  with  his  brethren  and  others?  If  481. 

To  whom  did  Jesus  become  a  stranger?  and  what  re- 
proaches fell  upon  him?  H  481. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  that  the  body  members  have 
similar  reproaches.  ^  481. 

How  has  God  overruled  for  good  Satan's  persecution  of 
the  church?  If  482. 

Is  the  Christian's  suffering  greater  when  he  first  knows 
the  Lord  or  later?  ^  483. 

How  is  a  Christian,  when  first  begotten,  designated  in 
the  Scriptures?  If  483. 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


317 


What  kind  of  spiritual  food  does  he  need?  %  483. 
Give  a  figure  of  speech  illustrating  the  development  of 
/       the  church,  with  Scriptural  proof  of  same.  If  484. 

Give  a  paraphrase  of  the  apostle's  words  in  1  Peter 
2:3-8.  U  485. 

Give  Scriptural  proof  that  it  is  a  privilege  to  suffer  with 
Christ.  ^  485. 

What  course  must  a  Christian  take  as  compared  to  the 
world?  If  486. 

After  one  becames  a  Christian  is  there  any  specific  work 
that  he  must  do?  IF  48G. 

What  does  it  require  to  take  a  stand  on  the  side  of  the 
Lord?  If  487. 

W^hat  did  the  apostle  mean  by  the  words  temperance, 
patience,  godliness  and  brotherly-kindness?  Tf  488. 

Define  love.  Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  489. 

What  does  James  say  to  the  Christian  about  considering 
the  sulTering  of  the  prophets?  ^  490. 

What  was  the  purpose  of  the  prophets*  suffering?  ^  490. 

What  did  Jesus  say  about  the  violent  taking  the  king- 
dom? Give  explanation,  If  491. 

Why  should  the  Christian  suffer?  Give  Scriptural  proof. 
If  492. 

Why  is  Jesus  not  ashamed  to  call  the  members  of  the 
church  his  brethren?  If  492. 

Does  the  true  saint  of  God  complain  or  murmur  because 
of  his  persecution?  Give  Scriptural  reason.  Tf  493. 

Does  the  true  Christian  expect  to  be  without  suffering? 
If  494. 

What  does  suffering  testify  to  him?  If  494. 

From  what  source  do  these  sufferings  come?  If  494. 

Who  was  one  of  the  greatest  sufl:erers  amongst  Clirist's 
followers?  If  495. 

Enumerate  some  of  his  experiences.  If  495. 

What  did  he  say  about  such  afflictions?  If  495. 

To  what  was  Paul  looking  forward  as  his  great  hope? 
If  495. 

Upon  what  does  the  Christian  meditate  with  delight?  If  495, 
What  is  the  great  promise  set  before  the  church?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  ^  496. 

What  does  the  word  "glory"  mean,  as  used  in  the  Scrip- 
tures? Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  497. 


818 


The  Harp  of  God 


How  is  Jesus  mentioned  with  reference  to  God's  glory? 

How  are  the  body  members  to  be  with  him  in  glory?  \  497. 

How  will  this  glory  compare  to  things  of  earth?  ^  497. 

Vv'hat  did  Paul  say  about  thnt  glory?  H  497. 

V/hat  image  will  the  church  bear  in  glory?  ^  497. 

What  v/as  the  condition  of  faithful  saints  who  died  be- 
tween Pentecost  and  Christ's  second  coming?  ^  498. 

What  do  the  Scriptures  say  about  their  awakening  at 
the  second  coming  of  Christ?  ^  498. 

What  do  the  Scriptures  say  concerning  the  resurrection 
change  of  those  saints  livuig  on  the  earth  after  Christ's 
second  appearing?  ^  499. 

AVhy  are  they  called  blessed  of  the  Lord?  ^  499. 

Why  has  Jehovah  been  for  centuries  preparing  the  new 
creation?  ^  499. 

What  is  the  custom  of  royalty  concerning  jewels?  ^  500. 

In  what  way  do  the  Scriptures  compare  the  saints  to 
jewels?  Give  the  proof.  H  500. 

How  are  they  to  be  regarded  by  Jehovah?  and  how 
illustrated  by  jewels?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  H  500. 

Give  a  Scriptural  promise  of  glory  to  the  overcomer.  ^  501. 

How  is  the  sun  used  to  illustrate  glory?  Give  Scriptuial 
proof.  If  502. 

V/hat  Scriptural  promise  did  the  Lord  give  to  his  church 
concerning  a  heavenly  habitation?  %  503. 

What  did  the  psalmist  say  about  the  Lord's  habitation? 
H  503. 

What  did  the  prophet  write  concerning  the  beauty  of 
Zion?  ^  503. 

For  what  purpose  will  Jehovah  shine  through  the  new 
creation?  If  503. 

What  joy  will  this  bring  to  the  new  creation?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  K  503. 

What  is  the  Scriptural  promise  with  reference  to  having 
the  great  King  as  a  friend?  If  504. 

How  will  this  great  friend  love  the  members  of  the 
church?  If  504. 

What  is  meant  by  the  Scriptural  term  "honor"?  If  505. 
How  is  God  honored  by  his  creatures?  If  505. 
How  will  the  church  occupy  a  position  of  honor?  If  505. 
What  particular  relationship  with  Jesus  pictures  the  great 
honor  that  the  body  members  will  have?  If  505. 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


319 


What  does  the  Scripture  say  concerning  the  likeness  of 
Jesus  and  his  reJationship  to  the  body  members?  ^  506. 

VVliat  does  the  apostle  say  concerning  the  appearance 
and  likeness  of  the  church?  ^  506. 

Wlio  has  been  appointed  heir  of  all  things?  ^  500. 

WIio  Bhares  with  him  in  this  honor?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  If  508. 

To  whom  did  Jehovah  promise  the  rulership  and  domin- 
ion of  the  earth  at  the  time  of  Zedekiah's  overthrov/?  1|  507. 

What  docs  the  Prophet  Daniel  say  with  reference  to 
granting  this  dominion  to  Jesus?  1[  507. 

\yhat  will  b«  the  extent  of  his  dominion  and  kingdom? 
H  507. 

How  shall  the  nations  regard  it?  IT  507. 

What  promise  of  honor  is  given  to  the  church  in  this 
connection?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  ^  507. 

Who  will  be  the  great  King  of  glory  to  rule  the  nations? 
U  508. 

Is  any  promise  of  honor  to  the  church  given  in  this  con- 
nection? i  509. 

What  Scriptural  promise  is  there  that  the  church  shall 
enjoy  a  position  of  honor  in  the  coming  ages?  1j  509. 

To  what  extent  has  Jesus  been  honored  by  the  world? 
1[  510. 

What  Scriptural  proof  is  there  that  the  world  will  yet 
honor  him?  ^  510. 

How  have  the  body  members  of  the  church  been  regarded 
by  the  world?  U  510. 

Will  they  be  honored  in  the  future?  If  510. 

Vv'ill  the  world  know  who  is  born  a  member  of  the  glori- 
fied church?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  510. 

What  effect  will  this  knowledge  have  upon  the  world? 
tf  510. 

How  will  the  people  regard  the  church  in  the  future  ages? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  ^  510. 

Besides  glory  and  honor,  what  else  is  the  church  seeking? 
1  511. 

Define  immortality.  If  511. 

What  will  be  the  difference  between  a  perfect  human 
being  and  a  member  of  the  new  creation  with  reference  to 
requiring  nourishment  to  sustain  life?  If  511. 

What  Scriptural  proof  is  given  that  Jesus  possesses  in- 
herent life?  %  511. 


820 


The  Harp  of  God 


V/hat  Scriptural  promise  is  given  to  the  body  members 
that  they  will  have  iohcrent  life?  If  512. 

With  Vvhat  power  will  they  be  clothed  with  reference  to 
giving  life  to  others?  \  512. 

Give  some  Scriptural  proof  of  the  degree  of  life  to  be 
possessed  by  the  church.  H  512. 

What  is  meant  by  the  "crown  of  life"?  ^  512. 

When  one  becomes  a  nev/  creature  in  Christ,  hov/  does 
that  affect  his  hopes,  ambitions  and  aspirations?  H  513. 

What  did  Paul  say  concerning  the  life  of  such?  \  513. 

Whom  did  David  typify?  and  how  do  his  words  apply 
to  the  church?  ^  514. 

Kow  is  tlie  desire  of  the  cliurch  expressed  by  the  psalm- 
ist ?  Quote  the  scripture.  H  514. ' 

What  did  the  Psalmist  David  say  about  the  King  and  the 
new  creation  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah?  Quote  the  psalm. 
\  515. 

Show  the  contrast  in  the  minds  of  the  people  between 
the  position  of  the  Christ  during  the  period  of  humiliation 
and  the  period  of  glory.  Give  Scriptural  proof,  "ff  516. 

In  tlie  eyes  of  the  world,  how  do  members  of  the  church 
die?  H  517. 

In  the  eyes  of  Jehovah,  how  do  they  die?  Give  the  Scrip- 
tural proof.  H  517. 

How  does  Paul  contrast  the  humiliation  with  the  glory 
of  the  church?  Quote  the  scripture.  \  517. 

V/hen  will  all  the  members  of  the  church  enjoy  glory, 
honor,  and  immortality,  eternal  life?  ^  518. 

When  should  we  reasonably  expect  the  church  to  be 
glorified?  H  519. 

Under  what  guidance  did  Paul  write  concerning  the  aj)- 
proaching  kingdom?  ^  519. 

Describe  what  took  place  at  the  time  of  the  confirming 
of  the  law  covenant  by  Jehovah  with  Israel  at  Mount 
Sinai.  \  520. 

Give  the  Scriptural  statement  by  Paul  concerning  that 
time.  IF  520. 

What  did  such  convulsions  of  nature  foreshadow  con- 
cerning the  present  time?  ^  520. 

What  does  a  mountain  symbolize?  and  in  what  sense  can 
we  say  that  present  conditions  were  foreshadowed  by  the 
disturbance  at  Mount  Sinai?  H  521. 

Using  this  to  illustrate  the  approaching  kingdom,  quote 


Glorification  of  the  Church 


321 


the  Apostle  Paul's  words  in  Hebrews  12:22-24.  f  521. 

What  do  these  words  of  Paul  picture  with  reference  to 
the  kingdom?  ^  522. 

Why  is  God  now  manifesting  his  power  and  justice  in 
dealing  with  the  nations  of  earth?  ^  523. 

How  does  the  privilege  of  living  on  earth  now  compare 
with  that  in  centuries  past?  H  524. 

Did  the  prophets  understand  what  would  happen  at  this 
time?  Did  the  angels  understand?  Did  these  seek  to  find 
out?  ^  524. 

What  is  the  privilege  of  the  Christian  now  compared  with 
that  of  Christians  living  in  the  early  part  of  the  Christian 
age?  H  525. 

To  what  are  saints  this  side  the  vail  looking  forward? 
H  525. 

Whom  will  the  Christian  first  expect  to  meet  in  the 
heavenly  kingdom?  Quote  the  scriptures  with  reference  to 
the  Christian's  guardian  angel.  If  526. 

What  have  these  angels  done?  Give  the  Scriptural 
proof.  If  527. 

Who  would  be  the  next  whom  the  Christian  would  ex- 
pect to  meet  in  glory?  Why  will  the  King  of  glory  desire 
to  greet  the  body  members  in  the  kingdom?  ^  528. 

Describe  others  in  the  church  for  whom  the  Christian 
will  be  looking  in  the  kingdom.  If  528. 

What  grace  of  the  holy  spirit  will  be  possessed  by  every 
one  who  is  in  the  kingdom?  If  529. 

AVhat  will  be  the  appearance  of  each  member  of  the  body 
of  Christ?  If  529. 

After  all  of  the  bride  class  are  united  with  the  Bride- 
groom, then  Vv'hat  is  next  to  be  expected?  If  530. 

To  whom  is  granted  the  honor  of  presenting  the  bride 
before  Jehovah?  ^  530. 

Give  a  picture  based  upon  the  Scriptures  of  the  appear- 
ance of  the  bride  with  the  Bridegroom  before  the  throne  of 
Jehovah.  %  531. 

Describe  the  appearance  of  the  bride  class.  If  532. 

How  will  that  marriage  compare  with  earthly  marriages 
or  unions?  If  532. 

Why  will  the  members  of  the  body  of  Christ  be  a  monu- 
ment to  the  grace  of  God?  If  533. 

In  vision,  how  did  John  describe  the  church  class  this 
side  the  vail  using  the  harp  of  God?  If  534. 


322 


The  Harp  of  God 


*THEE  FOR  EVER  BLEST'' 

Thy  works  all  praise  Thee :  all  Thy  angels  praise : 

Thy  saints  adore,  and  on  Thy  altars  burn 

The  fragrant  incense  of  perpetual  love. 

They  praise  Thee  now:  their  hearts,  their  voices  prais 

And  svv'ell  the  rapture  of  the  glorious  song. 

Harp!  lift  thy  voice  on  high!  shout,  angels,  shout  I 

And  loudest,  ye  redeemed !  glory  to  God, 

And  to  the  Lamb,  who  bought  us  with  His  blood, 

From  every  kindred,  nation,  people,  tongue; 

And  washed,  and  sanctified,  and  saved  our  souls; 

And  gave  us  roI)es  of  linen  pure,  and  crowns 

Of  life,  and  made  us  kings  and  priests  to  God. 

Shout  back  to  ancient  Time !  Sing  loud,  and  wave 

Your  palms  of  triumph  !  sing.  Where  is  thy  sting, 

O  Death?  where  is  thy  victory,  O  Grave? 

Thanks  be  to  God,  eternal  thanks,  who  gave 

Us  victory  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Harp,  lift  thy  voice  on  high  !  shout,  angels,  shout. 

And  loudest,  ye  redeemed !  glory  to  God, 

And  to  the  Lamb,  all  glory  and  all  praise, 

All  glory  and  all  praise,  at  morn  and  even. 

That  come  and  go  eternally ;  and  find 

Us  happy  still,  and  Thee  for  ever  blest. 

Glory  to  God,  and  to  the  Lamb.  Amen. 

For  ever,  and  for  evermore.  Amen. 


CHAPTER  XI 


String  lo:  Restoration 

THE  restoration  string  of  the  harp  of  God  is  one 
that  will  fill  the  earth  with  joyful  song.  Although 
every  prophet  from  Samuel  to  John  the  Baptist  spoke 
of  the  coming  days  of  restoration,  this  wonderful 
doctrine  represented  by  the  tenth  string  of  the  harp 
was  for  a  long  time  lost  to  the  vision  of  many  who 
claimed  to  be  Christians,  as  was  also  the  doctrine  of 
the  Abrahamic  promise.  Hence  we  sec  that  the  eight- 
string  harp  sometimes  used  by  the  Jews  represents 
the  harp  of  God  minus  the  strings  picturing  the 
Abrahamic  promise  and  restoration.  Now  these  strings 
or  doctrines  have  been  found  and  appreciated  by 
God 's  people ;  and  the  harp  fully  strung  yields  music 
of  unspeakable  sweetness. 

Restoration  means  restoring  that  which  was  lost. 
The  first  man  Adam  was  made  perfect,  in  the  image 
and  likeness  of  God,  with  power  and  authority  to  fill 
the  earth  with  a  race  of  people  and  to  rule  the  earth 
as  his  dominion.  By  reason  of  his  sin,  he  brought 
upon  himself  the  manifestation  of  divine  justice ;  and 
being  sentenced  to  death,  he  lost  the  right  to  life,  and 
this  right  was  lost  also  for  his  offspring.  The  first 
man,  Adam,  v/as  created  a  human  being,  not  a  spirit 
being.  '^The  first  man  is  of  the  earth,  earthy.''  (1 
Corinthians  15:47)  God  created  the  earth  for  man. 
*'God  .  .  .  formed  the  earth  and  made  it;  he  hath 
established  it,  he  created  it  not  in  vain,  he  formed  it 
to  be  inhabited/'  (Isaiah  45: 12, 18)  The  Scriptures 

325 


323 


The  Harp  of  God 


concliLsively  prove  that  God's  original  purpose  vras 
that  man  should  have  an  everlasting  home  on  the 
earth  as  long  as  he  obeyed  the  divine  law.  Man  hav- 
ing disobeyed  forfeited  his  right  to  live  on  earth ; 
end  Jesus,  the  perfect  man,  having  by  his  great  sacri- 
fice purchased  this  right  for  man,  the  time  must  come 
when  man  will  be  restored  to  that  which  was  lost. 

Some  noted  teachers  of  the  Bible  deny  the  doc- 
trine of  restoration.  Let  us  observe,  then,  what  else 
must  fail  if  this  doctrine  fails.  If  there  is  to  be  no 
restoration  of  man  to  his  original  state,  then  it  must 
be  admitted  that  the  creation  of  man  was  and  is  a 
failure.  Not  only  would  the  creation  of  man  result 
in  a  failure,  but  the  veiy  purpose  for  which  God 
created  the  earth  must  fail.  This  would  mean,  then, 
that  his  word  has  not  and  will  not  accomplish  what 
he  said.  But  God  being  all-wise,  and  ha^'ing  un- 
limited power,  liis  purposes  can  not  fail.  If  we  be- 
lieve the  Bible,  we  will  have  to  believe  the  doctrine 
of  restoration.  Jehovah  has  said:  '*My  word  that 
goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth  .  .  .  shall  not  return 
unto  me  void;  but  it  shall  accomplish  that  which  I 
please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I 
sent  it. ' ' — Isaiah  55 : 11. 

If  there  is  to  be  no  restoration  of  man  to  liis 
original  state  and  no  opportunity  for  him  to  be  so 
reiitored,  then  the  manifestation  of  divine  justice 
against  Adam  amounts  to  nothing  more  than  God's 
destroying  the  work  of  his  own  hands  and  admitting 
he  was  and  is  unable  to  people  the  earth  with  a  per- 
fect race.  If  we  believe  in  his  omnipotence,  we  must 
believe  that  he  will  accomplish  his  design.  Having 
made  the  promise  at  the  time  of  the  sentence  of  man 
that  the  great  enemy  should  ultimately  perish,  we 


Restoration 


327 


may  take  this  as  one  truth  upon  which  to  hang  a  hope 
that  sometliing  better  is  to  come  in  the  future. 

If  there  is  to  be  no  restoration  of  mankind  to 
original  perfection,  then  God's  promise  made  to 
Abraham  is  meaningless  and  must  fail,  because  the 
express  purpose  of  that  promise  is  the  blessing  of  all 
the  families  of  the  earth ;  and  that  blessing  is  life. 
(Genesis  12 :  3  ;  22 : 18  ;  28 : 14 ;  Romans  6 :  23)  Not 
only  did  Jehovah  make  this  promise  to  Abraham,  but 
he  bound  the  promise  with  his  oath ;  and  by  these  two 
things  (his  word  and  his  oath,  both  of  which  are  un- 
changeable) it  is  impossible  for  the  promise  to  fail; 
but  in  due  time  it  must  be  carried  out. — Heb.  6 : 17, 18. 

Heyond  question,  the  Scriptures  show  that  Je- 
sus, who  in  his  prehuman  existence  was  the  Logos, 
left  the  heavenly  courts,  his  life  being  transferred 
from  spirit  to  human  plane,  took  upon  him  the  na- 
ture and  form  of  man,  and  became  Jesus  for  the  very 
purpose  of  saving  the  people  from  their  sins.  (]\Iat- 
thew  1:21)  He  came  that  man  might  have  life. 
(John  10: 10)  He  came  and  gave  his  life  as  a  ran- 
som, that  others  might  live.  (Matthew  20:28)  He 
was  rich  and  for  our  sakes  became  poor,  that  we 
through  his  poverty  might  become  rich.  (2  Corin- 
thians 8:9)  When  he  was  bom  as  a  man,  the  angels 
of  heaven  announced  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  which 
shall  be  unto  all  people,  because  the  purpose  of  his 
birth  was  to  redeem  mankind  and  to  restore  to  them 
that  Avhich  had  been  lost.  (Luke  2:9-11)  If  there 
is  to  be  no  restoration  of  man  to  his  original  state, 
then  all  these  purposes  of  God  in  sending  his  beloved 
Son  to  earth  must  fail.  We  know  that  God's  word 
can  not  fail. 

It  was  the  perfect  man  Adam  who  had  sinned 
and  by  his  sin  lost  the  right  to  life  and  the  blessings 


32S 


The  Harp  of  God 


incident  to  a  perfect  human  life.  The  only  means 
pro\'ided  for  satisfj-ing  that  judgment  and  releasing 
mankind  was  by  substituting  another  perfect  human 
life.  The  substitution  of  that  one  perfect  human  life 
for  the  other  is  called  in  the  Scriptures  the  ransom 
sacrifice.  God  made  the  specific  promise  that  he 
would  ransom  man  from  the  power  of  the  grave,  and 
that  he  would  redeem  him  from  death.  (Hosea  13: 14) 
In  keeping  with  this  promise,  his  Word  declares  that 
'Jesus,  by  the  grace  of  God,  tasted  death  for  every 
man'.  (Hebrevrs  2:9)  "There  is  one  God,  and  one 
mediator  between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Je- 
sus, who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be  testified 
in  due  time."— 1  Timothy  2:  5,  6. 

Unless,  therefore,  mankind  has  a  full  and  fair 
opportunity  to  be  restored  to  the  perfect  condition 
enjoyed  by  father  Adam  while  in  Eden,  then  all  of 
these  promises  of  Jehovah  are  meaningless  and  must 
fail.  If  they  should  fail,  such  would  prove  that  God 
is  not  all-powerful.  It  would  also  prove  that  his 
promises  are  not  sure;  whereas  the  Scriptures  de- 
clare: ''xVll  the  promises  of  God,  whatever  their  num- 
ber, have  their  confirmation  in  him;  and  for  this 
reason  through  him  also  our  'Amen'  acknovdedges 
their  truth  and  promotes  the  glory  of  God  through 
our  faith.  But  he  who  is  making  us  as  well  as  you 
stedfast  through  union  with  the  anointed  one,  and 
has  anointed  us,  is  God,  and  he  has  also  set  his  seal 
upon  us,  and  has  put  his  spirit  into  our  hearts  as  a 
pledge  and  foretaste  of  future  blessing." — 2  Corin- 
thians 1 :  20-22,  ^Ycymouih. 

Jesus  was  raised  from  the  dead  and  ascended  on 
high.  The  fact  of  his  resurrection  is  a  guarantee  that 
all  men  shall  have  an  opportunity  for  life.  If  there 
is  to  be  no  restoration  of  the  liuman  race,  then  the 


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329 


resurrection  of  Jesus  and  the  awakening  of  others 
from  the  dead  are  meaningless  and  for  no  purpose. 
If  we  believe  the  Scriptures,  we  must  believe  in  re- 
storation, because  God  ''hath  appointed  a  day,  in  tlio 
wliich  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  by 
that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained;  vrhereof  he  hath 
given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead."  (Acts  17:  31)  If  we  do  not  ac- 
cept the  doctrine  of  restoration  of  the  human  rac.% 
then  we  must  ignore  the  positive  words  of  the  apostle, 
who  wrote :  '  *  Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and 
become  the  firstfruits  of  them  that  slept.  For  since 
by  man  came  death,  by  man  came  also  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead.  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in 
Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.  But  every  man  in  his 
own  order ;  Christ  the  firstf ruits ;  afterward  they  that 
are  Christ's,  at  his  coming.  Then  cometh  the  end, 
when  he  shall  have  delivered  up  the  Idngdom  to  God, 
even  the  Father;  when  he  shall  have  put  down  all 
rule  and  authority  and  power.  For  he  must  reign, 
till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet.  The  last 
enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death.'' — 1  Corin- 
thians 15 :  20-2G. 

544  <^The  mystery"  is  the  Christ,  the  anointed  class, 
Jesus  the  head  and  liis  body  members,  designated  in 
the  Scriptures  as  'the  seed  of  Abraham,  according  to 
the  promise'.  (Colossians  1:  26,  27)  It  is  the  repeat- 
edly announced  purpose  of  Jehovah  that  through  this 
seed  all  families  of  the  earth  shall  be  blessed.  (Gala- 
tians  3 :  8, 16,  27,  29)  Jehovah  has  devoted  much  time 
and  effort  to  the  development  of  the  seed  of  promise. 
If,  therefore,  there  is  to  be  no  opportunity  for  full 
restoration  of  mankind,  then  the  time  and  effort  spent 
in  developing  the  seed  of  Abraham  has  been  wasted, 
and  the  promise  of  blessing  through  this  seed  is  mean- 


330 


The  Harp  of  God 


ingless  and  void.  If  we  believe  the  scriptures  above 
cited,  that  God's  word  can  not  return  unto  him  void, 
then  we  must  Imow  that  his  purposes  can  not  fail. 

The  Lord  Jesus  went  away  to  prepare  a  place 
for  his  bride,  the  church,  which  is  the  seed  of  Abraham 
through  which  the  promised  blessingof  mankind  must 
come.  He  promised  to  return  and  receive  his  bride 
unto  himself.  He  has  come  again,  a^  the  Scriptural 
evidence  herein  cited  clearly  and  conclusively  shows. 
If  there  is  to  be  no  opportunity  for  the  restoration  of 
m.an  to  the  condition  which  Adam  enjoyed  before  he 
sinned,  then  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord  must  fail 
in  one  of  its  primary  purposes.  That  one  of  the  pri- 
mary purposes  of  his  second  coming  is  the  restoration 
of  the  human  race,  is  definitely  stated  by  the  inspired 
witness:  "God  .  .  .  shall  send  Jesus  Christ,  which 
before  was  preached  unto  you ;  whom  the  heaven  must 
receive  [retain,  hold]  until  the  times  of  restitution 
[restoration]  of  all  things,  whieh  God  hatli  spoken 
by  the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets  since  the  world 
began.  For  ]\Ioses  truly  said  unto  the  fathers,  A 
prophet  shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up  unto  you 
of  your  brethren,  like  unto  me ;  him  shall  ye  hear  in 
all  things,  whatsoever  he  shall  say  unto  you.  And 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  soul,  which  will  not 
hear  that  prophet,  shall  be  destroyed  from  among  the 
people.  Yea,  and  all  the  prophets,  from  Samuel,  and 
those  that  follow  after,  as  many  as  have  spoken,  have 
likewise  foretold  of  these  days. ' ' — Acts  3 :  20-24. 

Added  to  this  positive  statement  of  the  inspired 
apostle  is  the  testimony  of  all  the  prophets  foretell- 
ing the  time  coming  for  the  restoration  of  the  things 
that  were  lost  through  the  disobedience  of  Adam. 

Enoch  was  the  first  of  the  holy  prophets.  ( Jude 
14,  15)  Then  followed  Jacob  (Genesis  49: 10),  Moses 


Restoration 


331 


(Genesis  3;  15;  12:3;  13:15;  18 : 18 ;  22 : 18 ;  Deuter- 
onomy 18:15,19;  30:15),  Samuel  (1  Samuel  2:6), 
Job  (14:13-15;  33:19-30),  David  (Psalms  22:27; 
30:5;  37:11;  46:10;  67:1-7;  72:3.4,6,10;  86:9; 
93 :  2 ;  96 : 11-13  ;  98 :  4-9 ;  104 :  5) ,  Solomon  (Proverbs 
2 :  21 ;  11 :  31 ;  Ecclesiastes  1:4),  Isaiah  (2 :  2-4  ;  9  :  7  ; 
11:4-9;  14:7;  19:22;  25:6-12;  28:17,18;  29:17, 
18;  33:24),  Jeremiah  (3:17;  24:7;  31:16,29,34; 
32 :  39,  40  ;  33  :  8,  9 ;  46 :  27  ;  50 :  4,  5) ,  Ezekiel  ( 11 : 19  ; 
16 :  55,  61-63  ;  18 :  2,  31,  32 ;  28 :  26 ;  34 :  25-28 ;  36 :  26, 
27,29,30,35;  37:24;  39:29),  Daniel  (2:44;  7:27), 
Hosea  (2:18,21;  3:5;  13:14),  Joel  (2:22,32), 
Amos  (9 : 11, 12  ;  Acts  15  : 14-18) ,  Obadiah  (verse  21 ) , 
Jonah  (chapter  4),  Micah  (4:  1-5,  8),  Nahum  (1: 15; 
2:3-6),  Habaldvuk  (2:14),  Zephaniah  (2:11;  3:9, 
13),  Haggai  (2:7),  Zechariah  (2:11;  3:10;  8:3,8, 
12, 15,21,22;  9:10, 17;  14:9, 11,  20),  Malachi  (1:11; 
3 : 11 ;  4 :  2) ,  and  John  the  Baptist  (John  1 :  29  ;  Mat- 
tliev/  11:9,11).  This  entire  array  of  holy  witnesses, 
without  a  single  exception,  unite  in  testifying  to  the 
coming  days  of  restoration  of  man. 

548  rpj^Q  reasonable  mind  can  not  conceive  that  J eho- 
vah  would  develop  a  new  creation  and  glorify  that 
creation  by  committing  to  the  head  of  it  all  power  in 
heaven  and  in  earth  without  assigning  the  new  crea- 
tion some  work  to  do  with  reference  to  man.  The 
Yery  purpose  of  the  glorification  of  the  new  creation, 
the  church,  is  that  the  members  thereof,  directed  by 
the  head,  the  Lord  Jesus,  might  judge  and  bless  and 
restore  the  families  of  the  earth.  There  could  be  no 
judgment  without  a  trial;  and  a  trial  means  an  op- 
portunity. Jesus  plainly  said:  ''In  the  regeneration, 
when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  his 
glory,  ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.''  (Matthew  19:28)  Here 


332 


The  Harp  of  God 


is  the  positive  statement  of  regeneration.  Regenera- 
tion means  the  act  of  reproducing  or  giving  life  anew 
to  a  creature. 

Again  it  is  written  concerning  those  who  par- 
ticipate in  the  first  resurrection  and  thereby  become 
members  of  the  royal  family  of  heaven:  ''Blessed 
and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection : 
on  such  the  second  death  hath  no  power,  but  they 
shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign 
with  him  a  thousand  years,"  which  thousand-year 
reign  is  for  tlie  purpose  of  restoring  mankind. — 
Revelation  20 :  6 ;  Acts  17 :  31. 

''^^  Again  says  the  apostle:  *'Do  ye  not  know  that 
the  saints  shall  judge  the  world?"  (1  Corinthians 
6:2)  Again  Jesus  plainly  declared  that  at  his  second 
coming  he  would  sit  upon  his  throne  of  glory,  and 
before  him  should  be  gathered  all  nations,  and  he 
would  separate  them  and  reward  them  according  to 
their  obedience  to  his  laws.  (Matthew  25:31-46)  If 
the  church,  Jesus  the  head  and  his  body  members 
glorified,  endowed  with  power  and  authority,  are  not 
to  act  as  the  great  deliverer  and  uplifter  of  the  hu- 
man race,  then  v/hy  should  they  be  clothed  with  such 
power  and  authority?  If  there  is  to  be  no  oppor- 
tvinity  for  the  restoration  of  manlrind,  then  God's 
plan  with  reference  to  the  new  creation  and  its  work 
must  fail.  He  has  positively  announced  that  one  of 
the  very  purposes  for  calling  and  developing  the  new 
creation  is  the  blessing  of  mankind. — Genesis  12 :  3 ; 
Galatians  3 : 16,  27,  29. 

^^^''I  the  Lord  have  called  thee  in  righteousness, 
and  will  hold  thine  hand,  and  will  keep  thee,  and  give 
thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a  light  unto  the 
Gentiles;  to  open  the  blind  eyes,  to  bring  out  the 
prisoners  from  the  prison,  and  them  that  sit  in  dark- 


Restoration 


333 


ness  out  of  tlie  prison  house. ' '  ( Isaiah  42 :  6,  7 )  *  *  Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  In  an  acceptable  time  have  I  heard 
thee,  and  in  a  day  of  salvation  have  I  helped  thee: 
and  I  will  preserve  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant 
of  the  people,  to  establish  the  earth,  to  cause  to  in- 
herit the  desolate  heritages. ' ' — Isaiah  49 :  8. 

Thus  we  see  that  every  purpose  of  the  divine 
plan  points  to  the  restoration  of  mankind.  Every 
vital  doctrine  speaks  of  that  comin:^  time  for  man's 
blessing.  Every  other  string  of  the  harp  of  God 
harmoniously  blends  with  the  music  of  the  tenth 
string,  the  restoration  of  man.  It  must  be  admitted 
by  every  honest  student  of  the  Bible  that  all  the 
fundamental  doctrines  point  to  God's  purpose  of 
offering  restitution  blessings  to  the  entire  human  race, 
and  that  the  obedient  ones  will  enjoy  the  blessings  up- 
on the  earth.  And  now  let  us  examine  some  more 
specific  texts  further  corroborating  the  already  strong 
proof  that  restitution  is  the  great  object  of  the  divine 
plan  relative  to  the  human  race. 

God  made  a  covenant  with  the  nation  of  Israel, 
by  which  covenant  he  promised  to  give  life  to  all  who 
would  keep  that  covenant.  (Leviticus  18:5)  The 
Israelites,  like  others  of  Adam's  offspring,  having 
been  born  sinners  and  imperfect,  could  not  keep  this 
covenant ;  therefore  could  not  get  life  through  it.  The 
specific  reasons  are:  (1)  The  ransom  sacrifice  had  not 
yet  been  given;  (2)  because  of  the  imperfections  of 
the  human  race  and  the  imperfections  of  Moses,  the 
mediator  of  the  covenant,  it  yielded  life  to  none  of 
the  nation  of  Israel.  (Romans  8:3)  There  was  a  two- 
fold purpose  for  this  law  covenant  being  made.  One 
was,  that  it  might  serve  as  a  schoolmaster  to  lead 
Israel  to  Christ  (Galatians  3:  24)  ;  and  the  other,  to 
foreshadow  a  better  or  new  law  covenant  arrangement 


The  Harp  of  God 


vrhich  God  would  make  through,  his  beloved  S'^n 
Christ  Jesus.  (Hebrews  10:1;  8:5)  Christ  is  the 
great  high  priest ;  and  by  his  fulfilling  the  divine  pur- 
poses, he  is  now  the  Mediator  of  a  better  covenant, 
the  new  covenant,  which  God  purposes  to  inaugurate 
for  man's  benefit.  (Hebrev/s  8:6;  9:15)  When  the 
church  is  glorified  and  the  kingdom  set  up,  then  the 
blood  (merit)  of  Christ  -^ill  be  applied  as  atonement 
for  the  people  and  confirmation  cf  the  new  covenant, 
through  which  covenant  promised  blessings  are  to  be 
extended  to  the  human  race. 

After  these  days,  then,  after  the  gathering  out 
of  the  Christ  class  or  nev/  creation,  this  covenant  is  to 
be  inaugurated,  as  Paul  states:  Behold,  the  days 
come,  saith  the  Lord,  when  I  will  make  a  new  covenant 
with  the  house  of  Israel  and  with  the  house  of  Judah: 
not  according  to  the  covenant  that  I  made  with  their 
fathers  in  the  day  when  I  took  them  by  the  hand  to 
lead  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egj.^jt;  because  they 
continued  not  in  my  covenant,  and  I  regarded  them 
not,  saith  the  Lord.  For  this  is  the  covenant  that  I 
will  make  with  the  house  of  Israel  after  those  dciys, 
saith  the  Lord ;  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their  mind, 
and  wTite  them  in  their  hearts :  and  I  will  be  to  them 
a  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people:  and  they  shall 
not  teach  every  man  his  neighbour,  and  every  m.an 
his  brother,  saying.  Know  the  Lord:  for  all  shall 
knoAv  me,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest.  For  I  will 
be  merciful  to  their  unrighteousness,  and  their  sins 
and  their  iniquities  mil  I  remember  no  more."  — 
Hebrews  8 :  8-12. 

Under  this  new  covenant  the  whole  human  race 
shall  have  the  opportunity  to  come  back  to  God 
through  Christ  the  mediator.  Mark  that  it  is  plainly 


Restoration 


335 


stated  that  during  the  time  of  restoration  'Grod  will 
put  his  laws  into  their  minds,  and  write  them  in  their 
hearts,  and  will  be  to  them  a  God  and  they  shall  be 
to  him  a  people ;  for  he  will  be  merciful  to  them,  and 
their  sins  and  iniquities  he  will  remember  no  more'. 
This  could  mean  nothing  less  than  the  taking  away 
of  the  imperfections  of  the  obedient  and  restoring 
them  to  a  righteous  condition. 

556  Following  the  glorification  of  the  church,  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  Jacob,  David,  Barak,  Jephthae,  and  the 
prophets  (all  of  whom  we  term  faithful  worthies), 
the  Lord  has  promised  shall  be  brought  forth  from 
the  tomb,  being  given  a  better  resurrection.  (Hebrews 
11)  These  shall  be  princes,  rulers,  or  legal  representa- 
tives of  the  Christ,  in  the  earth;  and  through  them 
the  Lord  will  establish  a  righteous  government  in  the 
earth.  (Psalm  45:16;  Isaiah  32:1)  And  then  ''out 
of  Zion  [the  Christ,  invisible  to  men]  shall  go  forth 
the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem '\ 
*'It  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in 
the  top  of  the  mountains  [kingdoms],  and  shall  be 
exalted  above  the  hills;  and  all  nations  shall  flow 
unto  it.  And  many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come 
ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord, 
to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob:  and  he  vdll  teach 
us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths:  for 
out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of 
the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  And  he  shall  judge  among 
the  nations,  and  shall  rebuke  many  people ;  and  they 
shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares,  and  their 
spears  into  pruninghooks :  nation  shall  not  lift  up 
sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war 
any  more. " — Isaiah  2:2-4;  Micah  4 : 1-4. 


336 


The  Harp  of  God 


THE  LIVIXG  FIRST 

Paul  emphatically  states  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at  his  appearing 
and  his  kingdom.  (2  Timoth}^  4:1)  In  this  he  is 
corroborated  by  Peter,  (1  Peter  4:5)  The  word 
quick  here  means  the  living,  those  who  have  some 
measure  of  life;  and  the  text  is  so  rendered  in  the 
Weyrnouth  translation.  When  the  new  covenant  is 
inaugurated  and  the  Lord  begins  to  deal  with  the  peo- 
ple, it  will  be  with  the  living  first.  It  would  be  un- 
reasonable to  suppose  that  he  would  first  awaken  the 
dead  and  deal  v/ith  them,  and  then  w^th  the  living  later. 
Jesus,  spcaldng  of  the  great  time  of  trouble  with 
which  the  present  world  reaches  a  final  conclusion, 
indicated  that  m.any  human  beings  will  pass  through 
the  trouble.  (Matthew  24:21,22)  These  if  obedient 
to  the  laws  of  God  shall  live  and  never  die.  Those  who 
learn  of  the  Lord's  kingdom  and  readily  put  them- 
selves under  its  direction  and  become  obedient  to  the 
laws  and  rules  of  his  new  kingdom  will  be  the  ones 
who  will  be  blessed  and  acknowledged  of  the  Lord, 
and  rapidly  restored. 

559  purther  corroborative  proof  is  given  by  the 
Prophet  Isaiah  that  restoration  vdll  begin  with  those 
living  on  the  earth  at  the  beginning  of  the  Messianic 
reign.  There  are  millions  of  persons  now  living  who 
have  a  sincere  and  honest  desire  for  righteousness. 
!Many  of  these  love  the  Lord  to  the  extent  of  their 
Imovvdedge  of  him;  but  their  knowledge  is  so  limited 
because  they  have  been  taught  so  much  error  concern- 
ing him  that  they  are  filled  with  fear  and  dread. 
They  have  not  sufficient  knowledge  of  him  to  have 
real  faith.  They  have  not  gone  on  to  the  point  of 
consecration.  They  have  heard  of  the  Lord's  second 
coming  and  hope  for  something  better.  They  realize 


Restoration 


337 


that  there  is  great  trouble  in  the  world  and  see  no  hu- 
man remedy  for  it.  They  long  for  a  complete  and 
proper  relief. 

To  such  Jehovah  says  through  his  prophet:  '*Be 
strong,  fear  not;  behold,  your  God  will  come  with 
vengeance,  even  God  with  a  recompence ;  he  will  come 
and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be 
opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped. 
Then  shall  the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart,  and  the 
tongue  of  the  dumb  sing.'*  (Isaiah  35;  4-6)  These 
words  could  have  no  application  to  persons  who  are 
in  their  graves,  and  must  exclusively  apply  to  those 
who  are  living  at  the  beginning  of  the  IMessianic 
reign.  Furthermore,  when  the  dead  are  raised  up, 
they  will  not  come  forth  from  the  graves  minus  arms, 
or  legs,  or  other  parts  of  the  body ;  but  '  God  will  give 
to  each  a  body  as  it  pleaseth  him'  (1  Corinthians 
15:38),  a  reasonably  sound  body.  And  as  a  man 
renders  himself  in  obedience  to  righteousness,  his 
body  will  develop  toward  perfection.  There  are  now 
on  earth  millions  who  are  blind,  or  deaf,  or  lame,  or 
dumb,  or  cripples  in  some  form;  and  these  arc  the 
ones  to  whom  the  prophet  refers.  The  kingdom  being 
in  operation,  as  these  come  to  a  knowledge  of  God's 
great  arrangements  and  obey  the  righteous  laws  un- 
der the  new  covenant,  they  will  develop  new  arms, 
legs,  eyes ;  be  given  the  poAver  of  speech,  and  gradu- 
ally develop  a  sound  body. 

5C1  'vvhen  these  great  miracles  begin  to  be  per- 
formed in  the  earth,  then  the  most  skeptical,  it  is  to 
be  hoped,  will  believe  that  the  Lord  Jesus  reigns. 
The  miracles  which  he  performed  while  on  earth  in 
opening  the  eyes  of  the  blind  and  healing  the  sick 
were  merely  examples  of  what  he  v/ill  do  in  his  glori- 
fied condition.  Because  it  is  both  unreasonable  and 


338 


The  Harp  of  God 


unscriptural  to  expect  that  the  dead  will  come  forth 
from  their  graves  in  a  maimed,  deaf,  and  dumb  con- 
dition, but  will  come  forth  with  reasonably  sound 
bodies,  these  words  of  the  prophet  conclusively  prove 
that  restoration  will  begin  with  those  who  are  living 
on  the  earth  at  the  beginning  of  the  Messianic  reign. 

Concerning  the  work  of  the  Christ  of  restoring 
the  peoples  of  earth,  and  looking  forward  to  that 
time,  Paul  writes :  ' '  The  whole  creation  groaneth  and 
travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now,  waiting  for  the 
manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God,"  the  Idngdom  class. 
(Romans  8:19,22)  Those  who  thus  travail  in  pain, 
groan,  wait,  and  hope  for  something  better,  could  not 
be  the  dead  ones,  but  those  who  are  living  at  the 
inauguration  of  the  new  order.  There  are  millions 
now  on  earth  who  are  looking  and  hoping  for  a  better 
time,  and  groaning  for  that  relief.  They  understand 
not  the  mystery  of  God.  They  do  not  understand  how 
his  sons  constitute  the  seed  of  Abraham  for  their 
blessing;  yet  they  hope  for  something. 

5C3  During  the  World  War  millions  were  maimed 
and  disfigured  in  various  ways,  and  many  deprived 
of  one  or  both  arms  or  legs.  Because  the  Lord  is  now 
present,  putting  his  kingdom  into  operation,  it  is  to 
be  expected  that  many  of  these  crippled  and  maimed 
ones  will  be  among  the  first  to  receive  the  restoration 
blessings.  As  they  come  to  a  Imowledge  of  the  fact 
that  the  Lord  is  giving  these  blessings,  and  render 
themselves  in  obedience  to  his  righteous  rule,  they 
will  be  thus  blessed.  Happy  will  be  their  portion 
when  they  begin  to  be  restored.  Joyful  will  be  their 
friends  and  loved  ones  to  see  such  restoration  bless- 
ings being  ministered  unto  them. 

5Ci  ^j^hiie  the  trouble  in  the  earth  is  ever  increasing 
and  the  suifering  of  the  poor  increases,  some  are 


Restoration 


339 


mnnifesting  a  greater  amount  of  sympathy  and  con- 
sideration ;  while  others  are  becoming  more  unreason- 
able and  harsh  toward  the  poor.  The  Lord  indicates 
what  class  he  Y/ill  favor  in  this  time  of  trouble,  say- 
ing: Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor:  the 
Lord  will  deliver  him  in  the  time  of  trouble.  The 
Lord  will  preserve  him,  and  keep  him  alive ;  and  he 
shall  be  blessed  upon  the  earth."  (Psalm  41:1,2) 
Surely  this  could  apply  to  none  other  than  those  now 
living  in  this  time  of  trouble,  because  when  restitu- 
tion blessings  begin  the  time  of  trouble  will  be  over. 

Upon  the  earth  there  are  nov/,  according  to  the 
best  statistics  obtainable,  approximately  1,700,000;000 
persons  who  have  a  measure  of  life.  The  proof  cited 
herein  shows  that  the  old  world  (the  Devil's  organi- 
zation) ended  and  began  to  pass  away  in  1914,  and 
that  this  will  be  completed  in  a  few  years  and  right- 
eousness fully  established.  The  Scriptural  evidence 
further  is  that  many  will  be  brought  through  this 
time  of  trouble,  and  these  will  be  the  ones  with  whom 
the  Lord  v/ill  first  begin  the  v/ork  of  restoration. 

The  first  v/orld  ended  v/ith  a  great  flood,  in 
which  a  few  persons,  to  wit,  eight,  were  saved  by  be- 
ing carried  over  in  the  ark  from  the  old  to  the  new 
organization  which  followed,  and  which  God  estab- 
lished immediately  after  the  fxood,  under  Noah.  This 
was  an  example  or  picture  representing  the  passing 
away  of  the  present  evil  world  and  showing  that 
many  v/ill  he  carried  over  from  the  old  to  the  new. 
When  God  l\ad  delivered  Noah  and  his  family  from 
the  perils  of  the  deluge  and  Noah  buildcd  an  altar 
before  the  Lord  and  offered  a  sacrifice,  the  Lord  made 
promise  to  Noah,  saying :  * '  I  will  not  again  curse  the 
ground  any  more  for  man's  sake;  .  .  .  neither  will 
I  again  smite  any  more  every  thing  living,  as  I  have 


340 


The  Harp  of  God 


done.  AVhile  the  earth  remaineth,  seedtime  and  har- 
vest, and  cold  and  heat,  and  summer  and  winter,  and 
day  and  night  shall  not  cease."  (Genesis  8:21,22) 
The  Scriptures  show  that  ''the  earth  abideth  for 
ever".  (Ecclesiastes  1:4)  Therefore  this  statement 
to  Noah  is  a  positive  promise  that  never  again  will 
the  earth  witness  the  destruction  of  every  living 
thing  by  a  flood  of  waters.  Seeing,  then,  that  we  are 
at  the  end  of  the  old  world  and  the  opening  of  the 
new,  and  that  according  to  the  Scriptures  many  must 
pass  over  to  the  new,  it  can  be  confidently  announced 

that  MILLIONS  OF  PEOPLE  NOW  LIVING  WILL  NEVER  DIE, 

because,  these  being  offered  restitution  blessings,  the 
presumption  must  be  indulged  that  many  of  them  will 
accept  and  be  obedient  to  the  new  order  of  things. 

It  was  Jesus  vrho  said :  ' '  Whosoever  liveth  and 
believeth  in  me  shall  never  die."  (John  11:  26)  The 
people  of  the  world  do  not  yet  live,  nor  have  they  had 
an  opportunity  of  life ;  and  this  opportunity  can  not 
come  to  manldnd  in  general  until  the  times  of  restor- 
ation begin.  Then  the  living  ones  who  believe  on 
the  Lord  shall  not  die.  We  should  keep  in  mind, 
however,  that  to  believe  means  to  act  upon  that  be- 
lief, in  accordance  with  it,  and  to  be  obedient  to  the 
new  order  that  the  Lord  ^vill  establish  in  the  earth. 
Furthermore  Jesus  said:  ''If  any  man  keep  my  say- 
ing, he  shall  never  see  death."  (John  8:51)  Men 
can  not  keep  the  sayings  of  Jesus  until  they  hear 
them;  and  the  world  can  not  hear  until  the  Lord's 
due  time.  (1  Timothy  2:5,6)  We  are  now  entering 
that  due  time  and  the  message  of  the  kingdom  is  be- 
ing given  out,  by  the  Lord's  grace,  that  some  may 
hear  and,  hearing,  may  profit  and  live. 

The  majority  of  mankind  practise  unrighteous- 
ness. This  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  of  their  impcr- 


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311 


fections.  As  the  prophet  puts  it,  each  one  was  born 
and  shapen  in  iniquity  and  conceived  in  sin.  (Psalm 
51 :  5)  They  have  been  surrounded  by  conditions  and 
influences  that  have  induced  wrong-doing.  A  great 
many  of  these  have  not  the  power  of  resistance 
against  evil;  but  during  the  reign  of  Messiah  evil 
will  be  punished  and  righteousness  rewarded,  and  evil 
influences  restrained.  Then  even  those  v/ho  are  wicked 
and  turn  from  unrighteousness  to  righteousness  sliall 
live  and  shall  not  die.  Of  this  God  gives  positive 
assurance  through  his  prophet. — Ezekiel  18 :  27,  28. 

As  further  proof  that  restoration  blessings  will 
begin  with  those  living  on  the  earth  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Messianic  reign,  we  cite  the  words  of  the 
Prophet  Job.  In  poetic  phrase  he  draws  a  picture  of 
mankind  in  a  condition  of  suffering  and  sorrow,  al- 
most upon  the  brink  of  the  grave.  This  picture  de- 
scribes vividly  the  conditions  now  existing  in  the 
earth.  It  depicts  those  who  have  a  measure  of  life,  all 
of  whom  must  be  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
Christ  is  the  messenger  of  the  new  covenant,  through 
which  mankind  must  receive  the  blessing.  Job  then 
pictures  the  appearance  of  this  messenger  of  the  cove- 
nant and  shows  that  the  message  delivered  turns 
many  to  righteousness.  And  those  who  hear,  appre- 
ciate and  obey  the  message  are  represented  as  saying, 
'I  have  found  my  redeemer';  and  then  restitution 
blessings  shall  follow,  and  the  old  shall  be  restored 
to  a  condition  of  manly  youth.  Man  now  is  filled  with 
pride  and  pursues  his  own  selfish  purposes.  The  great 
time  of  trouble  will  break  this  pride  and  bring  the 
haughty  low.  Note  Job 's  description : 

®'°**Then  he  openeth  the  ears  of  men,  and  sealeth 
their  instruction,  that  he  may  withdraw  man  from  his 
purpose,  and  hide  pride  from  man.  He  [the  Lord] 


342 


The  Harp  of  God 


keepeth  back  his  [man's]  soul  from  the  pit,  and  his 
life  from  perishing  by  the  sword.  He  is  chastened 
also  v/ith  pain  upon  his  bed,  and  the  multitude  of 
his  bones  with  strong  pain ;  so  that  his  life  abhorreth 
bread,  and  his  soul  dainty  meat.  His  flesh  is  con- 
sumed away,  that  it  can  not  be  seen ;  and  his  bones 
that  were  not  seen  stick  out.  Yea,  his  soul  draweth 
nigh  to  the  grave,  and  his  life  to  the  destroyers. 
[Thus  describing  the  miserable  condition  of  human- 
kind.] If  there  be  a  messenger  [the  Christ,  the  Mes- 
senger of  the  new  covenant]  with  him,  an  interpreter, 
one  among  a  thousand,  to  show  unto  man  his  upright- 
ness, then  he  [the  Lord]  is  gracious  unto  him  [man], 
and  saith.  Deliver  him  from  going  dowoi  to  the  grave 
[thus  showing  that  not  all  are  to  be  sent  into  death. 
Then  man  is  represented  as  saying]  :  I  have  found  a 
ransom.  [The  result  then  is  pictured  in  the  next 
phrase  when  the  prophet  snys  concerning  man:]  His 
flesh  shall  be  fresher  than  a  child's;  he  shall  return 
to  the  days  of  his  youth. ' ' — Job  33 : 16-25. 

PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  VriCKED 

The  Scriptures  clearly  indicate  that  some  stub- 
born, proud,  disobedient  ones  will  refuse  to  hear  the 
word  of  the  Lord  and  to  obey  his  righteous  laws.  The 
loving-kindness  of  the  Lord  is  manifested  when  his 
long-suffering  is  shov/n  in  the  fact  that  he  does  not 
immediately  destroy  all  such,  but  gives  each  one  a  full 
and  fair  opportunity,  the  prophet  showing  that  the 
trial  of  the  disobedient  shall  not  be  extended  beyond 
a  hundred  years;  and  if  at  the  end  of  that  time  he 
is  persistent  in  disobeying  the  Lord,  he  shall  be 
counted  accursed  and  cut  off  in  everlasting  destruc- 
tion. (Isaiah  65:20)  Peter  corroborated  this  in  his 
statement  concerning  restoration  times,  sa.ying;  ''It 


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343 


shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  soul,  which  will  not 
hear  that  prophet,  shall  be  destroyed  from  among 
the  people."— Acts  3:23. 

Again  the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  to  the  effect  that 
at  the  beginning  of  his  reign  the  nations  and  peoples 
shall  be  gathered  before  him  in  the  sense  that  they 
will  be  instructed  concerning  his  reign.  In  parabolic 
phrase  he  pictures  them  being  separated  as  sheep  are 
separated  from  goats.  A  goat  is  an  animal  that  is 
unruly,  disobedient.  It  refuses  to  stay  in  the  pasture 
where  it  is  placed,  but  insists  on  getting  outside  and 
destroying  things  where  it  has  no  business.  The  goat, 
therefore,  pictures  an  unruly  or  disobedient  class. 
Sheep  are  docile,  submissive,  and  in  Oriental  coun- 
tries they  are  led  by  the  shepherd.  They  know  his 
voice  and  follow  him.  The  Lord  used  this  to  illustrate 
the  ones  who  are  obedient  to  him.  The  goats,  there- 
fore, picture  the  wicked  class;  and  concerning  them 
the  Lord  said:  These  shall  go  into  everlasting 
punishment ' ' ;  whereas  the  sheep  picture  the  obedient 
class,  and  of  them  he  says  that  they  shall  go  into 
everlasting  life. — Matthew  25 :  41-46. 

Punishment  does  not  mean  torture.  The  laws  of 
the  land  provide  for  the  punishment  of  wrongdoers, 
and  the  duration  of  that  punishment  is  according  to 
the  enormity  of  the  crime.  If  a  man  steals  his  neigh- 
bor's chickens,  the  duration  of  his  punishment  would 
probably  be  a  few  days  in  prison.  If  he  burns  his 
neighbor's  house,  the  duration  of  his  punishment 
would  probably  be  a  term  of  years  in  prison.  If  he 
takes  his  neighbor's  life,  the  duration  of  his  punish- 
ment is  death.  There  is  no  limitation  to  that  punish- 
ment. It  is  a  lasting  one,  one  that  does  not  end.  So 
those  who  go  into  destruction  suffer  a  punishment 
that  is  everlasting,  therefore  everlasting  punishment. 


344 


The  Harp  of  God 


^''^  This  punishment  the  apostle  plainly  describes  as 
destruction.  (2  Thessalonians  1:9)  It  is  certain  that 
they  do  not  get  life,  because  the  Lord  plainly  says  in 
this  statement  that  the  righteous,  the  obedient  ones, 
go  away  into  life  eternal.  The  final  fate  of  the  wicked, 
therefore,  is  an  everlasting  destruction;  whereas  the 
final  state  of  the  obedient  and  righteous  ones  is  life 
everlasting  in  peace  and  in  joy. 

ALL  MUST  HAVE  A      CHANCE " 

The  great  ransom  sacrifice  presented  in  heaven 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  is  a  guarantee  that  every  man  must 
have  one  full  and  fair  opportunity  for  life.  Life  is 
pictured  as  a  gift.  In  order  for  a  gift  to  be  effective 
there  must  be  a  giver  or  donor,  and  a  receiver  or 
donee.  The  giver  must  be  willing  to  give ;  the  receiver 
must  have  knowledge  that  the  thing  is  ofiered  and 
must  be  willing  to  accept.  There  must  be  two  parties, 
the  giver  and  the  receiver ;  and  there  must  be  Imov/l- 
edge  on  the  part  of  both.  For  this  reason  we  read: 
**This  is  good  and  acceptable  before  God,  our  Savior, 
who  desires  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  to  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  truth.'*  (1  Timothy  2:  3,  4, 
Diaglott)  The  salvation  here  mentioned  is  effected 
by  the  great  ransom  price  which  constitutes  the  price 
of  deliverance.  Then  all  must  come  to  a  knowledge 
of  this  fact  and  either  accept  it  or  reject  it,  just  as 
one  who  is  offered  a  gift  must  either  receive  or  reject. 
Hence  the  apostle  writes:  "Therefore  as  by  the 
ofiense  of  one  judgment  came  upon  all  men  to  con- 
demnation; even  so  by  the  righteousness  of  one  the 
free  gift  came  upon  all  men  unto  justification  of 
life."  (Romans  5:18)  *'The  wages  of  sin  is  death; 
but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord. ' ' — Romans  6 :  23. 


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345 


As  further  proof  that  all  must  have  an  oppor- 
tunity, John  wrote:  **He  is  the  propitiation  for  our 
sins:  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of 
the  Avhole  world."  (1  John  2:2)  The  word  ''our" 
as  used  in  this  text  means  the  class  to  which  John 
belonged,  namely,  the  church,  the  Christ;  whereas 
''the  world"  includes  all  the  race  of  mankind.  The 
statement,  then,  is  that  the  ransom  was  provided  for 
all.  Furthermore,  when  Jesus  was  born,  it  was  an- 
nounced by  the  angel  of  heaven:  "Behold,  I  bring 
you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  wMch  shall  be  to  all 
people."  (Luke  2:10)  Furthermore,  God's  promise 
to  Abraham  was  that  in  him  and  his  seed  all  the 
families  and  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed. 
(Genesis  12 :  3 ;  Galatians  3:8)  Hence  all  must  have 
an  opportunity  for  such  blessing. 

That  those  who  are  to  be  saved  are  not  confined 
to  the  ones  who  go  to  heaven  Jesus  proved  when  he 
said:  "Other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold : 
them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my 
voice."  (John  10: 16)  "This  fold"  means  the  church; 
and  after  this  class  is  selected,  then  all  must  have 
an  opportunity  to  come  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  And 
this  is  true  because  he  bought  them  all  with  his  pre- 
cious blood. 

God  caused  the  Prophet  David  to  write:  "All 
nations  whom  thou  hast  made  shall  come  and  worship 
before  thee,  O  Lord;  and  shall  glorify  thy  name." 
(Psalm  86:9)  This  is  further  corroborative  prjof 
that  all  must  have  an  opportunity. 

A  highway  is  a  means  of  travel.  For  instance, 
we  have  built  across  the  United  States  what  is  known 
as  the  Lincoln  Highway.  A  highway  is  used  to  illus- 
trate the  way  that  the  Lord  will  provide  for  the  re- 
turn of  the  people  to  him  through  the  terms  of  the 


346 


The  Harp  of  God 


new  covenant.  The  Prophet  Isaiah  thus  wrote: 
highway  shall  be  there,  and  a  way,  and  it  shall  be 
called.  The  way  of  holiness ;  the  unclean  shall  not 
pass  over  it ;  but  it  shall  be  for  those :  the  wayfaring 
men,  though  fools,  shall  not  err  therein/'  (Isaiah 
35:  8)  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  way  to  go 
over  this  highway,  and  it  shall  be  called  ''The  way  of 
holiness ' In  other  words,  those  who  pass  over  it  will 
be  made  holy.  The  highway  pictures  the  whole 
journey  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  millen- 
nial reign  of  Christ.  The  unclean  shall  not  pass  over 
it,  because  unless  a  man  will  be  cleaned  up  before 
he  progresses  a  great  way,  he  will  be  permitted  to 
go  no  further.  But  as  he  strives  to  cleanse  himself 
and  be  obedient  to  the  Lord,  he  vnW  be  helped. 
There  shall  be  nothing  there  to  hinder  him,  be- 
cause Satan's  influence  will  be  restrained.  (Revela- 
tion 20 : 1-4 )  The  way  shall  be  so  plain  and  clear 
that  any  and  all  may  see  it.  The  Lord,  therefore, 
has  graciously  provided  a  way  for  the  oppressed  and 
sin-sick  to  be  led  back  over  the  highway  of  holiness 
into  a  condition  of  perfection  and  happiness. 

Because  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  the  other 
faithful  prophets  described  by  the  Apostle  Paul  in 
Hebrews  11  are  promised  a  better  resurrection;  be- 
cause of  the  statement  of  the  prophet  that  they  shall 
be  princes  or  rulers  in  all  the  earth  (Psalm  45: 16), 
it  is  to  be  expected  that  they  will  be  the  first  ones 
raised  under  the  terms  of  the  new  covenant.  There- 
fore it  is  reasonable  to  expect  them  to  be  back  on 
earth  at  the  beginning  of  the  restoration  blessings. 
Hence  these  faitliful  men  m.ay  be  expected  on  earth 
at  the  inauguration  of  the  new  covenant.  They  will 
constitute  the  legal  representatives  of  The  Christ  in 
the  earth.  They  will  be  the  visible  representatives  of 


Restoration 


the  kingdom  of  heaven.  These  are  the  ones  who  shall  ad- 
minister earth 's  affairs  under  the  direction  of  the  Lord. 

581  There  are  not  two  parts  of  the  kingdom  as  some 
have  supposed.  It  is  God's  kingdom  with  Christ 
Jesiis  as  king  in  active  rulership.  He  and  his  asso- 
ciates are  invisible.  His  earthly  representatives,  the 
ancient  worthies,  will  constitute  the  visible  agents  or 
officers  of  that  kingdom. 

582  The  Lord  through  his  Prophet  Zechariah  gives 
a  wonderful  picture  of  the  establishment  of  this  king- 
dom and  of  the  blessings  that  will  come.  The  prophecy 
is  written  in  highly  symbolic  phrase.  It  reads:  ''His 
feet  shall  stand  in  that  day  upon  the  mount  of  Olives, 
which  is  before  Jerusalem  on  the  east,  and  the  mount 
of  Olives  shall  cleave  in  the  midst  thereof  toward  the 
east  and  toward  the  west,  and  there  shall  be  a  very 
great  valley:  and  half  of  the  mountain  shall  remove 
toward  the  north,  and  half  of  it  toward  the  south. 
And  ye  shall  flee  to  the  valley  of  the  mountain ;  for 
the  valley  of  the  mountains  shall  reach  unto  Azal: 
yea,  ye  shall  flee,  like  as  ye  fled  from  before  the 
earthquake  in  the  days  of  Uzziah  king  of  Judah ;  and 
the  Lord  my  God  shall  come,  and  all  the  saints  with 
thee.'*  (Zechariah  14:  4,  5)  ''His  feet'*  in  this  proph- 
ecy represents  Jehovah 's  feet ;  while ' '  mountain ' '  sym- 
bolizes kingdom.  The  olive  is  a  symbol  of  light,  peace, 
and  divine  blessing;  hence  the  picture  is  that  Jeho- 
vah's authority,  represented  by  his  feet,  will  be 
established  upon  earth,  by  a  kingdom  of  light,  peace, 
and  blessing.  The  cleaving  of  this  mountain  in  the 
midst,  showing  a  part  on  the  north  and  a  part  on 
the  south,  pictures  the  Messianic  kingdom,  governed 
from  heaven,  with  representatives  on  earth;  and  the 
valley  between  represents  the  valley  of  blessings. 
Into  this  valley  the  sin-sick,  sore,  feeble,  oppressed, 


348 


The  Harp  of  God 


yea,  all,  shall  flee  and  there  receive  the  blessings  of 
the  Lord,  which  will  make  them  rich  in  health  and 
peace  and  happiness  for  ever. 

Every  one,  then,  Vvho  believes  God's  Word  and 
who  confidently  expects  the  kingdom  to  bring  bless- 
ings to  mankind  and  who  sees  it  now  being  estab- 
lished should  watch  for  the  return  of  Abraham  and 
the  other  faithful  prophets  and  get  into  communica- 
tion with  them  as  soon  as  possible  after  their  return. 
And  acting  under  their  advice,  all  such  will  doubtless 
find  early  many  opportunities  of  ser^dce,  which  will 
bring  to  them  blessings  and  happiness. 

The  period  of  time  which  God  has  appointed  for 
the  trial  and  judgment  of  the  peoples  of  earth  is 
Scrip turally  known  as  the  judgment  day".  During 
that  period  of  time  the  people  ^vill  be  brought  to  an 
accurate  Imowledge  of  the  truth  that  they  may  have 
a  full  opportunity  to  obey  and  live  or  disobey  and 
die.  All  those  who  sincerely  want  to  do  right  are 
represented  as  saying,  *'Yea,  in  the  way  of  thy  judg- 
ments, O  Lord,  have  we  waited  for  thee ;  the  desire  of 
our  soul  is  to  thy  name,  and  to  the  remembrance  of 
thee.  With  my  soul  have  I  desired  thee  in  the  night ; 
yea,  with  my  spirit  within  me  will  I  seek  thee  early: 
for  when  thy  judgments  are  in  the  earth,  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  world  will  learn  righteousness."  (Isaiah 
26 :  8,  9)  The  people  then  will  learn  what  is  right  and 
vail  be  shoTO  clearly  the  right  way  to  go.  Those  who 
follow  the  course  of  righteousness  will  be  fully 
blessed,  even  as  God  made  promise  through  Abraham 
to  bless  all  families  of  the  earth. 

THE  DELVD  TO  RISE 

The  first  few  years  of  restitution  blessings  will 
find  multitudes  of  people  diligently  seeking  to  be 


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343 


restored  to  health  and  strength;  and  as  they  grow 
strong  themselves  and  prepare  homes  for  themselves 
and  their  families,  they  will  be  thinking  of  their  be- 
loved dead.  Naturally  they  will  want  to  see  them 
again,  and  they  will  pray  to  the  Lord  to  restore  them. 
And  the  Lord  will  hear  their  prayers  and  ansv/er 
them.  *'It  shall  come  to  pass,  that  before  they  call, 
I  will  answer;  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I 
will  hear."  (Isaiah  65:24)  Jesus  declared  that  ''all 
that  are  in  the  toml^s  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall 
come  forth ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resur- 
rection of  life ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  judgment.''  (John  5:28,29,  R.  V.) 
''They  that  have  done  evil'*  here  means  the  entire  hu- 
man race  aside  from  the  church.  They  were  born 
evil,  born  sinners.  (Romans  5:12)  They  are  coming 
forth  to  judgment,  to  a  trial;  and  this  is  the  great 
trial  time  spoken  of  by  the  apostle,  in  v^hich  all  men 
shall  have  an  opportunity.  (Acts  17:31)  "There 
shall  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just 
and  unjust. ' ' — Acts  24 : 15. 

Paul  then  produces  his  wonderful  and  beautiful 
argument  on  the  resurrection,  saying,  "If  the  dead 
rise  not,  then  is  not  Christ  raised;  and  if  Christ  be 
not  raised,  your  faith  is  vain ;  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins. 
Then  they  also  which  are  fallen  asleep  in  Christ  are 
perished.  If  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  in  Christ, 
we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable.  But  now  is  Christ 
risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the  firstfruits  of 
them  that  slept.  For  since  by  man  came  death,  by 
man  came  also  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  For  as  in 
Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive.''  (1  Corinthians  15:16-22)  Then  the  apostle 
shows  that  after  the  resurrection  of  the  church  in  the 
beginning  of  the  kingdom  every  man  must  come  forth 


350 


The  Harp  of  God 


in  his  own  order.  Jesus  declared:  "Many  that  are 
first  shall  be  last;  and  the  last  shall  be  first."  (Mat- 
thew 19  :  30)  This  principle  may  be  properly  applied 
to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Those  v/ho  died  last 
will  be  the  first  to  be  awakened ;  while  those  who  died 
centuries  ago  will  be  among  the  last  to  be  awakened. 

In  the  World  War  millions  of  men  died  upon  the 
battlefield.  That  was  indeed  the  land  of  the  enemy, 
the  land  of  death.  The  Lord  gives  us  a  picture 
through  the  prophet  as  to  the  coming  days  of  bless- 
ing, sr.^/ing  to  the  woman  v»^ho  wept  for  her  children, 
and  thus  illustrating  all  v/ho  weep  for  their  dead: 
Refrain  thy  voice  from  weeping,  and  thine  eyes 
from  tears:  for  thy  work  shall  be  rewarded,  saith 
the  Lord;  and  they  shall  come  again  from  the  land 
of  the  enemy.  And  there  is  hope  in  thine  end,  saith 
the  Lord,  that  thy  children  shall  come  again  to  their 
ovm  border." — Jeremiah  31:16,  17. 

As  the  dead  come  back  from  the  tombs,  piwision 
will  be  made  for  them  by  their  friends  v/ho  are  living 
on  the  earth.  Families  long  broken  up  vnll  be  again 
united ;  and  sadness  will  give  way  to  joy.  The  whole 
human  race,  ransomed  by  the  Lord,  will  have  this 
opportunity;  and  the  prophet  describes  it  thus:  "The 
ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  to  Zion 
with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads ;  they 
shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing 
shall  flee  away."  (Isaiah  35 : 10)  Gradually,  through- 
cut  the  thousand  years  of  Messiah's  reign,  will  the 
human  race  march  up  over  God's  great  highway,  un- 
til all  will  have  had  a  full  and  fair  opportunity,  the 
wilfully  wicked  destroyed  and  the  obedient  ones  re- 
stored to  perfection  of  body  and  mind  and  heart. 

The  people  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  It  does  not  mean,  however,  that  they 


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351 


went  into  an  endless  torture,  as  we  have  heretofore 
been  led  to  believe.  On  the  contrary,  the  Lord  plainly 
states  that  they  shall  be  brought  back  to  their  former 
estate ;  that  is,  as  human  beings  on  the  earth,  for  the 
purpose  of  being  given  a  trial.  *'When  thy  sisters, 
Sodom  and  her  daughters,  shall  return  to  their  former 
estate,  and  Samaria  and  her  daughters  shall  return 
to  their  former  estate,  then  thou  and  thy  daughters 
shall  return  to  your  former  estate."  (Ezekiel  16:  55) 
While  the  Lord  will  rule  with  an  iron  hand,  compel- 
ling obedience,  yet  his  rule  will  be  a  righteous  one, 
and  he  will  reprove  with  justice.  He  is  pictured  by  the 
prophet  as  ruling  in  faithfulness  and  righteousness, 
thus:  ''With  righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  poor, 
and  reprove  with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth: 
and  he  shall  smite  tlie  earth  with  the  rod  of  his 
mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay 
the  wicked.  And  righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of 
his  loins,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  reins." 
— Isaiah  11 :  4,  5. 

590  r^i^Q  beneficial  effect  of  his  righteous  reign  is  also 
pictured  by  the  prophet,  in  the  i)assage  which  shows 
that  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth  will  become  subject 
to  man  and  that  a  little  child  shall  direct  them.  ''The 
wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard 
shall  lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the  calf  and  the 
young  lion  and  the  f atling  together ;  and  a  little  child 
shall  lead  them.  And  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall 
feed;  their  young  ones  shall  lie  down  together;  and 
the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And  the  sucking 
child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and  the 
v/eaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  cockatrice' 
den."— Isaiah  11:6-8. 

All  must  come  to  a  knov/ledge  of  the  truth ;  and 
those  obeying  it  will  have  their  sins  and  iniquities 


352 


The  Harp  of  God 


wiped  out  for  ever.  Thus  says  the  prophet:  ''They 
shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his  neighbor,  and 
eveiy  man  his  brother,  saying,  Ejiow  the  Lord:  for 
they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest 
of  them,  saith  the  Lord:  for  I  will  forgive  their  ini- 
quity, and  I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more/'  (Jere- 
miah 31:34)  When  the  Lord  remembers  their  ini- 
quities and  sins  no  more,  then  it  must  be  that  they 
are  restored.  When  John  the  Baptist  announced  the 
approach  of  Jesus,  he  exclaimed:  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world/' 
AVTien  the  sin  of  the  world  is  gone,  when  there  is  a 
world  without  sin,  then  it  must  be  a  world  with  per- 
fect people. 

That  the  people  will  be  brought  to  a  condition  of 
health  and  be  cured  of  their  sickness  the  Lord  assures 
us  through  his  prophet.  Behold,  I  will  bring  it 
health  and  cure,  and  I  will  cure  them,  and  will  re- 
veal unto  them  the  abundance  of  peace  and  truth." 
(Jeremiah  33 :  6)  **And  the  inhabitant  shall  not  say, 
I  am  sick ;  the  people  that  dwell  therein  shall  be  for- 
given their  iniquity. ' ' — Isaiah  33 :  24. 

PARADISE  RESTORED 

693  rpj^g  restoration  means  the  bringing  back  to  earth 
of  the  Edenic  condition  for  man 's  benefit.  Some  may 
think  there  will  not  be  sufficient  room  upon  the  earth 
for  all  the  restored  ones.  According  to  the  best 
authority,  there  have  lived  and  died  about  20,000,- 
000,000  people.  There  are  now  on  earth  approxi- 
mately 1,700,000,000  persons.  This  is  a  total  of  21,- 
700,000,000.  In  order  to  be  liberal,  let  us  suppose 
that  all  the  human  race  will  total  50,000,000,000.  As 
a  suggestion  that  there  will  be  ample  room  for  all  on 
the  earth,  let  one  take  his  pencil  and  divide  the  area 


Restoration 


353 


of  the  state  of  Texas  by  50,000,000,000 ;  and  he  will 
find  that  that  number  of  persons  could  be  placed  in 
the  state  of  Texas  alone,  giving  each  one  about  146 
square  feet  of  land  on  which  to  stand.  Of  course  it 
is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  earth  v/ill  be  crowded 
thus;  but  when  we  remember  that  only  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  earth's  surface  is  now  inhabited,  that  a 
great  portion  of  it  is  desert,  and  when  this  desert 
shall  become  productive  and  all  parts  of  the  earth 
habitable,  then  v/e  may  see  that  50,000,000,000  peo- 
ple could  comfortably  be  taken  care  of  in  the  earth 
and  have  plenty  of  room  to  spare. 

^®*But  will  the  earth  produce  sufficiently  to  feed 
this  multitude  ?  The  Scriptures  answer :  *  *  The  wilder- 
ness and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them; 
and  the  desert  shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 
It  shall  blossom  abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with 
joy  and  singing ;  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be  given 
unto  it,  the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon:  they 
shall  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  the  excellency 
of  our  God.  And  the  parched  ground  shall  become 
a  pool,  and  the  thirsty  land  springs  of  water." 
(Isaiah  35: 1,  2,  7)  '^The  desolate  land  shall  be  tilled, 
whereas  it  lay  desolate  in  the  sight  of  all  that  passed 
by.  And  they  shall  say,  This  land  that  was  desolate 
is  become  like  the  garden  of  Eden;  and  the  waste 
and  desolate  and  ruined  cities  are  become  fenced,  and 
are  inhabited.''  (Ezekiel  36:  34,  35)  When  the  whole 
earth's  surface  is  brought  up  to  a  condition  of  high 
cultivation  like  unto  the  garden  of  Eden,  then  in- 
deed the  earth  will  be  a  fit  habitation  for  man.  The 
reclamation  of  desert  land  such  as  the  Imperial  Val- 
ley of  California  has  now  begun.  Only  a  few  years 
ago  that  valley  was  a  desolate  \\dldemess  in  which  no 
animal  or  human  being  could  live;  and  now  it  pro- 


The  Harp  of  God 


duces  abundant  crops  because  it  has  been  watered. 
When  all  the  vast  deserts  of  Sahara,  Arabia,  and 
America  are  fully  irrigated  and  blossom  as  the  rose, 
they  will  produce  abundantly  for  man's  needs. 

595  fi^Q  reign  of  Christ  will  result  in  the  destruction 
of  all  man's  enemies.  The  weeds,  the  thistles,  tlie 
thorns,  the  pests  that  destroy  crops,  shall  all  be  de- 
stroyed. Everything  that  produces  sickness  shall  be 
destroyed.  The  apostle  plainly  says:  ''He  [Christ] 
must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his 
feet.  The  last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is 
death."— 1  Corinthians  15:25,  26. 

We  can  well  imagine  great  multitudes  of  people 
assembling  in  different  parts  of  the  earth  to  celebrate 
their  deliverance  from  Satan  and  his  wicked  organi- 
zations ;  and  as  the  people  witness  the  passing  away 
of  ignorance,  crime,  superstition ;  and  see  Imowledge, 
goodness,  loving-kindness  taking  their  place,  they  will 
fill  the  earth  with  joyful  song.  The  prophet  describes 
some  of  the  effects  of  these  restitution  blessings  thus : 
''In  this  mountain  [kingdom]  shall  the  Lord  of  hosts 
make  unto  all  people  a  feast  of  fat  things,  a  feast  of 
wines  on  the  lees,  of  fat  things  full  of  marrow,  of 
wines  on  the  lees  well  refined.  And  he  will  destroy 
in  this  mountain  the  face  of  the  covering  cast  over 
all  people,  and  the  vail  that  is  spread  over  all  na- 
tions [taking  av/ay  ignorance,  etc.].  He  will  swallow 
up  death  in  victory;  and  the  Lord  God  will  wipe 
away  tears  from  off  all  faces;  and  the  rebuke  of 
his  people  shall  he  take  away  from  off  all  the  earth ; 
for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it. ' ' — Isaiah  25 :  6-8. 

John,  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  had  a  vision  of  the 
great  Messianic  kingdom  and  described  it  in  symbolic 
phrase.  The  word  "heaven"  symbolically  means  the 
invisible  ruling  power;  while  the  "earth"  means  hu- 


Restoration 


355 


manity  organized.  The  old  heaven  has  been  wicked, 
because  Satan,  the  wicked  one,  has  been  ruling.  The 
old  earth  has  been  wicked,  because  the  organizations 
of  men  have  been  under  the  dominion  of  Satan.  John, 
observing  the  Messianic  kingdom  and  the  blessings 
that  would  follow,  wrote :  *  ^  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth;  for  the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth 
were  passed  away ;  and  there  was  no  more  sea. ' '  Thus 
he  shows  the  new  heaven  (the  ^lessianic  kingdom) 
and  the  new  earth  (mankind  organized  on  a  righteous 
basis  in  the  earth).  *'Sea"  is  symbolic  of  restless  hu- 
manity, thus  picturing  the  fact  that  there  will  be  no 
more  strikes,  lockouts,  revolutions,  or  anarchy.  Con- 
tinuing, he  describes  the  kingdom  as  a  holy  city,  the 
new  Jerusalem,  in  this  beautiful  phrase:  **And  I 
John  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down 
from  God  out  of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned 
for  her  husband.  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of 
heaven  sajdng.  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with 
men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be 
his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and 
be  their  God,"  picturing  here  the  dwelling  place  of 
the  Lord.  The  place  of  meeting  between  Jehovah  and 
manldnd  is  through  the  Christ.  The  results  will  be 
the  destruction  of  the  enemy  death,  and  the  full  re- 
storation of  the  obedient  ones ;  and  thus  he  describes 
it:  ''And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  .death,  neither  sor- 
row, nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more 
pain;  for  the  former  things  are  passed  away.  And 
he  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said.  Behold,  I  make  all 
things  new.  And  he  said  unto  me,' Write:  for  these 
words  are  true  and  faithful. ' ' — Revelation  21 : 1-5. 

Let  the  reasonable  person  ask  himself  these  ques- 
tions: 


356 


The  Harp  of  God 


599  WThy  would  God  outline  such  a  marvelous  plan 
as  this? 

coo  ^vvhy  would  he  establish  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth? 

coi  Why  would  he  awaken  the  dead  out  of  their 
graves  unless  he  intended  to  give  them  an  opportu- 
nity to  be  restored  to  the  perfection  enjoyed  by  Adam 
before  he  sinned? 

God  has  invited  us  to  use  our  reasoning  faculties 
(Isaiah  1:18)  ;  and  if  we  believe  these  great  truths 
taught  in  the  Bible,  we  can  reach  no  other  reasonable 
conclusion  than  that  restitution  is  the  great  objective 
of  God's  plan  relative  to  the  human  race,  and  that 
restitution  blessings  are  near  because  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand,  even  at  the  door.  Let  those  who 
are  cast  do^vn  look  up  now;  let  the  sorrowful  be 
glad ;  let  the  sad  hearts  be  comforted,  and  the  broken 
hearts  be  bound  up.  Lift  up  your  heads  and  rejoice 
in  the  fact  that  the  day  of  deliverance  for  mankind 
is  at  the  door ! 

Call  to  mind  for  a  moment  the  great  amount  of 
suffering  in  the  densely  populated  cities.  Old  men 
and  old  women,  young  men  and  young  women,  chil- 
dren, infants  in  arms,  all  crowded  into  foul  tene- 
ments, with  insufficient  food,  impure  air,  and  im- 
proper clothing;  and  with  everything  tending  to  de- 
grade their  morals.  Call  to  mind  the  countries  dev- 
astated by  the  war,  the  homes  destroyed,  families 
broken  up,  the  crippled,  blind,  deaf,  dumb,  and  in- 
sane. Imagine  for  a  moment  the  intense  suffering  of 
the  millions  of  people  throughout  the  earth ;  and  then 
know  that  this  dark  vail  of  suffering  and  death  will 
shortly  be  lifted  and  the  sunlight  of  God's  love  will 
shine  in  upon  all.  Like  the  sun,  the  great  Messianic 
kingdom,  shining  forth  with  healing  beams,  shall  dis- 


Restoration 


357 


pel  the  darlmess,  drive  away  the  sielmess,  clean  up 
the  bodies  and  clean  up  the  minds  and  morals,  point 
the  people  to  proper  food,  what  to  eat  and  how  to  eat 
it,  what  to  think  upon  and  how  to  conduct  tliem- 
selves ;  and  above  all,  to  give  them  a  full  knowledge 
of  the  lo\'ing-ldndness  of  our  great  God  and  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer  of  all.  And  know, 
then,  that  these  blessings  will  bring  eternal  happiness 
in  the  earth.  IMen  and  women  will  not  only  grow 
strong,  but  will  reach  that  state  in  which  they 
will  not  even  fear,  think,  or  expect,  to  be  sick. 

With  the  establishment  of  the  new  order  under 
the  Messiah  wars  and  revolutions  shall  cease,  because 
he  has  promised  that  then  "they  shall  beat  their 
swords  into  plowshares  and  their  spears  into  pruning- 
hooks ;  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more";  and  thus 
there  shall  be  no  more  restless  humanity,  symbolically 
called  ''sea".— Isaiah  2:4;  ^cah  4:3;  Rev.  21:1. 

The  profiteers  will  no  longer  be  permitted  to 
prey  upon  the  people,  because  God's  promise  is  that 
under  the  righteous  reign  none  shall  be  permitted  to 
injure  another  nor  defraud  his  neighbor. — Isaiah 
11 :  9  ;  65  :  25. 

60G  Then  shall  famines  vanish  away  and  no  more 
shaU  be  hungering  for  food  nor  vainly  striving  for 
sustenance  of  life,  because  then  the  earth  shall  yield 
her  increase  and  there  shall  be  plenty  for  all. — 
Psalm  67 : 6. 

Then  shall  disease  and  sielmess  be  destroyed,  be- 
cause God  has  promised  under  this  new  order  to  bring 
in  health  and  strength  and  to  bless  the  people  with  all 
favors  incident  thereto.  "The  inhabitant  shall  not 
say,  I  am  sick," — Isaiah  33:24;  Revelation  21:4. 


358 


The  Harp  of  God 


608  Funerals  now  are  the  order  of  the  day,  and  the 
family  and  loved  ones  left  behind  assemble  in  sorrow 
to  pay  the  last  tribute  to  their  beloved  dead.  But 
under  the  new  order  of  things  funerals  will  cease, 
undertakers  will  seek  a  more  pleasing  employment, 
and  the  hearses  will  be  changed  from  vehicles  of 
sorrow  to  equipages  of  pleasure.  ''There  shall  be  no 
more  death," — Revelation  21 :  4. 

Families  have  been  torn  asunder  and  each  mem- 
ber has  borne  his  or  her  sorrow  until  claimed  by  the 
grave;  but  under  the  new  order  families  will  be  re- 
united, parents  will  be  brought  back  to  the  children, 
and  children  to  the  parents,  and  they  shall  dwell  to- 
gether in  happiness. — 1  Corinthians  15 :  22,  23. 

^^•^No  more  will  the  poor  be  vainly  hunting  for  a 
habitation  or  fleeing  from  greedy  kndlords,  because 
then,  as  God  has  promised,  the  people  shall  'build 
houses  and  live  in  them ;  they  shall  not  build  for  an- 
other to  live  in,  but  then  every  man  shall  have  his 
own  habitation  and  every  man  shall  sit  under  his  o-vvn 
vine  and  fig  tree  and  none  shall  make  them  afraid'. 
—Isaiah  6o  :  21-23  ;  ]\Iicah  4 :  4. 

At  that  time  there  will  be  full  liberty  to  do 
right,  because  right  will  always  be  encouraged.  Every 
one  will  have  the  liberty  to  do  all  the  good  he  can. 
There  will  be  no  secret  service  men  nor  espionage 
laws  under  the  reign  of  Messiah.  This  will  result  in 
the  development  and  exhibition  of  real  men  and  wo- 
men. Justice  will  prevail  amongst  men;  they  will  be- 
come wise  concerning  the  things  pertaining  to  their 
welfare  and  happiness.  Love  will  be  the  motive  direct- 
ing their  actions  and  their  every  power  shall  be  ex- 
ercised for  good. — Revelation  21 ;  24-27. 

Life,  that  which  has  been  the  desire  of  men  in  all 
ages,  will  be  completely  realized,  life  in  fulness,  when 


Restoration 


359 


men  and  women  will  be  strong  and  vigorous,  and 
there  shall  be  no  more  pain,  no  suffering,  no  sorrow, 
no  death;  when  all  obedient  ones  shall  return  to  the 
days  of  their  youth  and  enjoy  life  as  perfect  human 
beings  through  endless  ages.  —  Job  33:25;  Romans 
6 :  23  ;  Revelation  21 :  4. 

Praise  then  shall  take  the  place  of  sorrow.  No 
longer  will  the  people  assemble  in  cemeteries  on  Decor- 
ation Day  to  pay  tribute  to  their  hero  dead,  because 
then  their  dead  will  be  restored  to  them ;  and  the  one 
who  shall  be  the  greatest  hero  in  their  minds  and 
hearts  will  be  the  great  Messiah,  who  has  brought 
the  people  the  unspeakable  blessings.  Then  will  the 
people  assemble,  not  to  discuss  politics,  nor  to  wrangle 
over  who  shall  hold  the  offices,  but  to  improve  their 
minds  and  to  study  the  beauties  and  wonders  of 
God's  creation  and  to  sing  songs  of  gladness  to  his 
praise. — Isaiah  35:10;  51:11;  Philippians  2:10,  11. 

CONSOLATION  TO  CHRISTIANS 

Death  is  a  cruel  enemy  of  the  human  race.  Its 
sting  has  been  felt  for  ages.  It  takes  away  beloved 
ones  and  leaves  a  burning,  dagger  in  the  heart  of  the 
surviving  friend.  It  has  filled  the  earth  vdth.  sadness, 
and  the  people  with  grief.  But  the  sweet  music  from 
the  harp  of  God  has  cheered  some  sad  hearts  who 
have  learned  of  the  divine,  arrangement  .to  restore 
their  dear  ones  whom  they  have  loved  and  lost  awhile. 
By  faith  the  Christian  sees  that  God,  in  his  o\vn  good 
time  and  way,  will  bring,  back  their  beloved  dead  and 
give  them  an  opportunity  for  endless-  life  and  happi- 
ness, because  he  has  promised  thus  to  do.  The  Chris- 
tian knows  that  God's  promises  are  certain  of  fulfil- 
ment and  that  his  power  to  perform  is  unlimited. 


360 


The  Harp  of  God 


Such  faith,  based  upon  the  precious  promises,  helps 
now  in  a  measure  to  allay  the  sting  of  death. 

Beside  the  tossing  billows  of  the  mighty  ocean 
one  walks  in  silent  meditation.  Her  mind  turns  to  a 
beloved  one  who  during  the  AYorld  War  was  taken 
away  to  serve  in  the  navy.  For  a  time  he  sailed  the 
seas  and  returned,  only  to  sicken  and  die,  leaving  be- 
hind a  bleeding  heart,  which  only  time  and  the  Lord 
can  heal.  As  her  feet  silently  tread  the  soft  sands 
recently  caressed  by  the  waves,  her  mind  is  filled  with 
thoughts  of  happy  days  spent  with  her  beloved  broth- 
er, whose  laughter  is  now  hushed  in  death  and  who 
sleeps  in  Jesus,  waiting  for  the  time  of  resurrection. 
The  former  joyful  days  were  turned  int-o  sorrow  be- 
cause of  Death's  v/icked  hand.  But  the  great  Burden- 
bearer  lightens  her  load  and  helps  her  to  bear  her 
sorrow  as  there  come  to  her  mind  the  words  spoken 
through  his  messenger:  "Sorrow  not  as  others,  who 
have  no  hope;  for  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and 
rose  again,  even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus 
will  God  bring  by  him.  .  .  .  Comfort  one  another 
with  these  v,^ords. ' ' — 1  Thessalonians  4 : 13,  14,  17. 

Gazing  far  out  to  sea,  she  observes  a  mighty  ship 
being  tossed  by  the  power  of  the  waves  as  though  it 
were  an  em.pty  shell.  What  marvelous  power  is  thus 
displayed  by  those  waves!  Yet  it  is  but  a  semblance 
of  the  power  of  God.  He  who  made  the  great  ocean 
and  caused  the  moon  to  kiss  its  bosom  at  nightfall; 
he  who  hung  the  stars  in  the  heavens,  v/hich  serve  to 
guide  the  weary  and  wave-tossed  m^ariner  in  his 
stormy  course,  and  v/ho  holds  back  the  mnds  until  he 
has  reached  his  desired  haven,  he  it  is  who  is  clothed 
with  all  power  and  authority  in  heaven  and  in  earth, 
and  has  promised  to  bring  back  the  beloved  dead  from 
the  grave.  His  promise  he  vrill  faithfully  keep. 


Restoration 


Her  meditations,  for  a  time  sad,  are  now  turned 
into  silent  joy  because  of  the  hope  planted  in  that 
once  troubled  bosom  by  the  precious  promises  of  God. 
By  faith  she  sees  the  blessed  day,  not  far  distant, 
when  back  to  life  shall  come  that  beloved  brother.  By 
faith  she  can  see  him  progressing  over  the  highway, 
until  he  is  made  strong,  vigorous,  and  returns  to  the 
days  of  his  youth,  and  shall  dwell  in  peace  and  happi- 
ness for  ever. 

Oh,  what  sweet  and  consoling  music  the  restora- 
tion string  of  God's  harp  brings  to  the  heart  of  the 
Christian  now!  What  great  joy  will  fill  that  heart 
when,  as  a  member  of  the  glorified  body  of  Christ,  the 
blessed  privilege  will  be  had  of  awakening  out  of 
death  that  beloved  one  and  marking  his  gradual  res- 
toration to  perfect  manhood!  Then  both  the  blesser 
and  the  blessed  will  praise  God  for  his  boundless  love. 
Until  that  happy  day,  blessed  is  the  one  who  claims 
the  promise:  **Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace 
whose  mind  [meditation]  is  stayed  on  thee,  because 
he  trustcth  in  thee.  * ' — Isaiah  26 :  3. 

619  Yov  centuries  Christians  lost  sight  of  the  beauti- 
ful doctrine  of  the  restoration  pictured  by  the  tenth 
string  of  the  harp  of  God.  This  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  consecrated  were  in  captivity  to  the  religious 
systems  formed  by  man  and  into  which  Satan  injected 
false  doctrines,  thereby  blinding  the  understanding  of 
even  the  honest-hearted.  But  with  the  second  presence 
of  the  Lord  his  people  have  been  released  from  such 
Babylonian  captivity.  The  eyes  of  their  understanding 
opening  because  of  the  brightness  of  his  presence, 
they  have  learned  of  the  restoration  string  of  the 
harp  of  God ;  and  its  sweet  melody  has  cheered  their 
hearts  so  much  that  they  could  not  keep  back  the 
singing.  God  foreknew  this,  of  course;  and  for  the 


The  Harp  of  God 


further  encouragcmerxt  of  such  caused  his  prophet  to 
write  these  appropriate  words  relative  to  the  restora- 
tion blessings  coming  to  the  nations  and  peoples  and 
kindreds  of  earth :  ' '  When  the  Lord  turned  again  tlie 
captivity  of  Zion,  we  were  like  them  that  dream. 
Then  was  our  mouth  filled  ^vith  laughter,  and  our 
tongue  with  singing :  then  said  they  among  the  heath- 
en, The  Lord  hatii  done  great  things  for  them." — 
Psalm  126 : 1,  2. 

Truly,  as  God's  prophet  said:  **I  will  incline 
mine  ear  to  a  parable:  I  vnll  open  my  dark  saying 
upon  the  harp."  (Psalm  49:4)  All  of  God's  plan 
has  been  stated  in  parabolic  language,  and  is  appre- 
ciated only  by  the  cons3crat<jd  follower  of  Jesus ;  but 
when  understood,  it  is  ind-oed  a  harp  that  yields  the 
most  entrancing  music  that  ever  fell  upon  human 
cars.  Strike  now  the  chord  of  restitution  and  hear 
how  beautifully  it  resi^onds  and  harmonizes  v/ith  all 
the  other  strings  upon  the  divine  harp !  Know,  then, 
that  as  the  people  come  to  learn  of  God's  wonderful 
arrangement,  all  vrliose  hearts  are  riglit  will  praise 
him.  The  psalmist  thus  appropriately  says : 


*'0  worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness: 
Fear  before  him,  all  the  earth. 
Say  among  the  heathen  that  the  Lord  reigneth ; 
The  world  also  shall  be  established  that  it  shall 

not  be  moved; 
He  shall  judge  the  people  righteously. 
Let  the  heavens  rejoice,  and  let  the  earth  be  glad ; 
Let  the  sea  roar,  and  the  fulness  thereof. 
Let  the  field  be  joyful,  and  all  that  Is  therein; 
Then  shall  all  the  trees  of  the  wood  rejoice  before 

the  Lord; 

For  he  cometh,  for  he  cometh  to  judge  the  earth : 
He  shall  judge  the  world  with  righteousness, 
And  the  people  with  his  troth."— P^alm  m :  9-13, 


Restoration 


363 


Finally,  at  the  end  of  the  millennial  reign  of 
the  Messianic  kingdom,  all  the  obedient  ones  of  tlie 
human  race  will  have  been  restored  to  perfect  condi- 
tions. The  harp  of  God,  the  great  doctrinal  trutlis, 
will  be  magnified  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  people.  But 
even  now  the  fully  consecrated  Christian  is  pictured 
as  standing  above  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  havin?^' 
the  harp  of  God,  and  singing  the  song  of  Moses  and 
the  Lamb,  saying:  "Great  and  marvellous  are  thy 
works,  Lord  God  Almighty;  just  and  true  are  thy 
ways,  thou  King  of  saints.  Who  shall  not  fear  thee, 
0  Lord,  and  glorify  thy  nameT*  And  "vvith  the  close 
of  the  thousand  years  ''all  nations  shall  come  and 
worship  before  thee;  for  thy  judgments  are  made 
manifest".  (Revelation  15 :  3, 4)  These  are  looking  to 
the  finished  work  of  Christ. 

HALLELUJAH  CHORUS 

622  gy  faith  looking  up  through  the  corridor  of  the 
Millennial  age  now  opening,  we  see  standing  at  the 
further  end  thereof  a  perfect  race  of  human  beings. 
Every  vestige  of  wickedness,  selfisliness,  and  wrong 
has  been  eliminated.  During  the  thousand-year  reign 
of  Christ  that  old  Serpent,  the  Devil  and  Satan,  has 
been  restrained,  that  he  might  not  deceive  the  nations 
and  peoples  during  the  Messianic  reign.  (Revelation 
20: 1-3)  Being  released  for  a  little  season  at  the  end 
of  that  period,  he  has  put  forth  his  efforts  again  to 
deceive ;  but  now  these  have  ended  and  Satan  is  de- 
stroyed, because  God  has  decreed  it  thus.  (Revela- 
tion 20:7-10;  Hebrews  2:14)  Abraham,  the  father 
of  the  faithful,  and  his  colleagues  of  like  faithfulness, 
who  have,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Christ,  di- 
rected the  people  through  their  -millennial  trial,  have 
faithfully  performed  their  work,  and  will  be  greatly 


86-4 


The  Harp  of  God 


loved  by  the  people.  Having  during  that  reign 
turned  many  to  righteousness,  they  shine  forth  as  the 
stars  for  ever  and  ever.  (Daniel  12:  3)  The  earth  has 
been  brouglit  to  a  condition  of  Edcnic  Paradise.  In 
it  there  are  no  weeds,  thistles,  or  thorns.  It  is  a  fit 
habitation  for  perfect  man,  pleasing  to  the  eye.  All 
men  and  women  have  been  perfected  in  organism, 
mind,  and  heart,  and  gracious  words  are  upon  their 
lips.  Each  one,  granted  a  perfect  voice,  possesses  the 
ability  to  sing  perfectly ;  and  a  song  of  joy  is  upon  all 
lips.  All  the  creation  of  earth  is  now  subjected  to 
man ;  and  the  chief  joy  of  every  one  is  and  will  be 
to  contribute  to  the  happiness  of  his  fellow  men  and 
to  glorify  God  and  Christ. 

By  faith  behold  this  happy  picture  for  a  m.o- 
ment,  and  then  turn  your  vision  to  the  things  heav- 
enly. There  angels,  who  for  ages  have  faithfully  per- 
formed service  as  messengers  to  the  Lord,  are  assem- 
bled ;  line  upon  line,  tier  upon  tier  of  these  glorious 
beings.  In  their  respective  positions  of  honor  stand 
forth  the  cherubim  and  seraphim;  and  in  the  midst 
of  all  stands  The  Christ.  Jesus  Christ  the  blessed  and 
faithful  one,  as  the  great  victor  now  looks  back  over 
his  work  and  'sees  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  is  satis- 
fied' with  the  happy  results.  Standing  by  his  side 
is  his  glorious  bride,  who  for  a  thousand  years  has 
been  the  recipient  of  the  exceeding  riches  of  the  grace 
of  God  through  her  beloved  Head,  and  who  will  now 
enjoy  these  favors  to  endless  ages.  Her  bridesmaids, 
'the  virgins  her  companions  who  follow'  and  serve 
her,  are  there,  performing  their  divinely  assigned 
functions.  Above  all  stands  the  great  Jehovah  God, 
whose  wisdom  planned  it  all  and  whose  loving-kind- 
ness has  been  showered  upon  the  multitude  of  his 


Restoration 


365 


creatures.  Joy  fills  his  blessed  heart.  His  plan,  as  he 
foreknew  it  would  be,  is  a  grand  success. 

It  is  an  entrancing  scene !  It  is  the  appropriate 
time  for  the  Hallelujah  chorus.  The  stage  is  set.  The 
trumpeters  with  their  trumpets  take  their  places,  and 
the  psaltery  and  the  harp  are  brought  forth.  The 
timbrel,  the  stringed  instruments,  the  organ,  the  cym- 
bals, and  every  conceivable  instrument  of  praise  is 
in  the  hands  of  the  heavenly  host.  There  is  a  breath- 
less silence.  Then  the  trumpeters  peal  forth  their 
paeans  of  praise,  and  all  the  other  players  and  singers 
of  the  heavenly  hosts  join  in.  This  entrancing  music 
is  caught  up  by  the  multitudes  of  earth  and  wafted 
back  to  heaven  again  (because  communication  has 
been  established  between  the  perfect  men  and  the  per- 
fect heavenly  creatures),  until  every  creature  which 
is  in  heaven  and  on  earth  and  under  the  earth,  and 
such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them,  are 
praising  God,  saying:  ''Blessing,  and  honor,  and 
glory,  and  power,  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever." 
(Revelation  5: 13)  Every  knee  is  bowing  and  every 
tongue  is  confessing  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the 
glory  of  God  the  Father.  Every  creature  that  has 
breath  is  now  joining  in  the  song.  It  is  the  Hallelu- 
jah chorus,  and  this  is  what  they  sing : 

"Praise  ye  the  Lord ! 

Praise  God  ia  his  sanctuary ;  praise  him  in  the  firmament 
of  his  power. 

Praise  him  for  his  mighty  acts;  praise  him  according  to 

his  excellent  greatness. 
Pa-aise  him  with  the  sound  of  the  trumpet; 
Praise  him  with  the  psaltery  and  harp. 
Praise  him  with  the  timbrel  and  dance; 
Praise  him  with  stringed  instruments  and  organs. 


S66 


The  Harp  of  God 


Praise  him  \ipon  the  loud  cymbals;  praise  him  upou  the 

high  somiding  cymbals. 
Let  every  tiling  that  hath  breath  praise  tlie  Lord. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord!" — Psalm  150. 


How  will  the  restoration  string  of  the  harp  affect  the 
world?  ^  535. 

What  does  the  tenth  string  of  the  harp  represent?  1[  535. 

What  two  great  doctrines  were  lost  sight  of  for  a  long 
time  by  Christians?  H  535. 

V/hat  did  the  harp  with  eight  strings,  sometimes  used 
by  the  Jews,  represent?  *!f  535. 

Define  restoration.  •[[  536. 

What  did  Adam  lose  for  himself  and  his  offspring?  ^  580. 
Give  the  Scriptural  proof  as  to  the  nature  of  the  first 
man.  H  536. 

What  was  God's  purpose  in  creating  the  earth  and  putting 
man  upon  it?  ^  536. 

Is  any  one  Marranted  In  denying  the  doctrine  of  the 
restoration  of  mankind?  If  537. 

If  there  were  to  be  no  restoration  of  man,  what  effect 
would  tliat  have  upon  the  purpose  for  which  God  created 
man  and  the  earth?  ^  537. 

Can  the  purposes  of  God  fail?  Give  Scriptural  reason  for 
answer.  %  537. 

If  there  were  to  be  no  restoration  of  man,  then  the 
manifestation  of  divine  justice  meant  what?  If  538. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  God's  promise  to  Abraham  to 
bless  all  the  families  of  the  earth  if  there  is  to  be  no 
restoration?  •Jf  539. 

Hovv  did  Jehovah  bind  this  promise?  and  what  assurance 
does  that  give  concerning  its  fulfilment?  If  539. 

Why  did  Jesus  come  to  earth?  If  540. 

Would  his  coming,  death,  and  resurrection  accomplish 
anything  if  there  were  no  such  thing  as  restoration  of  the 
liuman  race?  Give  Scriptural  reason  for  answer.  If  541,  542. 

Does  the  ransom  sacrifice  guarantee  an  opportunity  for 
restoration  to  all?  Give  Scriptural  reasons  for  answer, 
t  543. 

What  guarantee  is  given  to  man  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  ^  543. 


Restoration 


367 


If  the  doctrine  of  restoration  were  not  true,  then  what 
should  we  say  about  the  words  of  the  apostle  as  recorded  in 
1  Corinthians  15 :  20-26?  1[  543. 

The  mystery  being  the  seed  of  promise,  what,  then,  is 
the  work  of  the  mystery  class  when  glorified?  •[[  544. 

If  there  were  to  be  no  restoration  of  the  human  race, 
why  would  Jehovah  devote  so  much  time  to  the  development 
of  the  mystery  class?  H  544. 

What  relationship  has  the  second  coming  of  Christ  to 
restoration?  Give  Scriptural  statement  relating  to  this 
point.  If  545. 

Did  the  prophets  foretell  the  days  of  restoration?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  If  546,  547. 

Would  it  be  reasonable  to  suppose  that  God  would  pro- 
vide a  new  creation  and  not  give  it  some  specific  work  to 
do  relative  to  man?  ^  548. 

What  do  the  Scriptures  say  about  the  judging  and  bless-  ' 
ing  of  the  families  of  the  earth?  If  548. 

Could  there  be  a  judgment  without  a  trial?  If  548. 

What  did  Jesus  say  about  the  regeneration  of  the  human 
race,  and  those  who  would  participate  in  this  work?  Give 
Scriptural  proof.  If  548. 

Define  regeneration.  If  548. 

What  promise  is  given  to  the  church  with  reference  to 
reigning  with  Christ?  If  549.  * 

What  is  the  purpose  of  the  thousand-year  reign  with 
Christ  Jesus?  If  549. 

What  did  Paul  say  about  the  saints  judging  the  world? 
If  550. 

Vvhat  did  Jesus  say  about  the  gathering  of  the  nations 
before  him  at  his  second  appearing?  If  550. 

Would  not  the  purpose  of  God  concerning  the  new  crea- 
tion fail  if  there  were  no  restoration  of  mankind?  If  550. 

What  did  God's  prophet  say  concerning  the  release  of  the 
prisoners?  %  551. 

What  did  the  Prophet  Isaiah  state  with  reference  to  the 
church  establishing  the  earth  and  causing  the  people  to 
inherit  it?  If  551. 

To  what  does  every  vital  doctrine  of  the  divine  plan 
point?  If  552. 

With  what  do  all  the  other  strings  of  the  harp  harmon- 
ize? If  552. 


868 


The  Harp  of  God 


AVhy  could  not  the  Jews  get  life  under  the  law  covenant? 
^  553. 

For  what  purpose  was  the  law  covenant  made?  If  553. 

Is  there  to  be  a  new  covenant  for  the  benefit  of  man? 
Give  Scriptural  proof.  V  553. 

When  vv'ill  the  nev/  covenant  be  inaugurated?  H  554. 

State  the  terms  of  the  new  covenant  as  set  forth  by 
raul.  ^  554. 

V/hat  opportunity  v.ill  be  granted  to  the  human  race 
under  the  terms  of  the  nev/  covenant?  %  555. 

What  do  the  Scriptures  say  that  God  will  put  into  men's 
minds  and  hearts  under  the  terms  of  tliis  covenant?  If  555. 

What  prominent  characters  will  be  resurrected  immediate- 
ly following  the  glorification  of  the  church?  ^  55G. 

What  ofiicial  positions  will  these  prominent  characters 
occupy  in  the  Messianic  kingdom?  *i[  55G. 

AVhat  will  the  Lord  do  for  the  people  in  the  way  of 
instructing  them  and  leading  them  under  the  terms  of  the 
new  covenant  as  indicated  by  the  prophets?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  ^  557. 

V/hat  does  the  apostle  say  about  whom  the  Lord  will 
judge  when  he  comes?  ^  558. 

What  is  meant  by  the  word  "quick"  as  used  in  the 
scriptures  above  referred  to?  ^  558. 

AVith  whom  will  the  Lord  deal  first  when  the  new  cove- 
nant is  inaugurated?  H  558. 

Would  we  expect  that  he  would  first  awaken  the  dead 
and  judge  them  before  dealing  with  the  living?  ^  558. 

Will  any  people  be  brought  through  the  great  time  of 
trouble  now  on  the  earth  and  have  an  opportunity  for 
restoration  blessings?  Give  the  Scriptural  reason  for  this 
ansv/er.  If  558. 

Are  there  many  people  now  living  on  the  earth  who  sin- 
cerely desire  a  righteous  governm.ent?  ?  559. 

What  is  the  extent  of  their  knowledge  of  the  Lord  and 
his  arrangement?  and  what  effect  has  this  lack  of  knowl- 
edge had  upon  them?  If  559. 

Wliat  message  has  the  Lord  given  to  such  through  his 
propliet?  Give  the  Scriptural  proof.  If  5G0. 

Why  do  the  words  of  Isaiah  35 :  4-6  apply  to  these  who 
are  living  and  not  to  those  in  the  graves?  ^  5G0. 

Will  the  dead  be  resurrected  minus  arms  or  legs?  H  560. 


Restoration 


369 


What  do  the  Scriptures  say  about  the  body  they  will  have 
when  raised  from  the  dead?  If  5G0. 

Having  in  mind  tlie  great  number  of  cripples,  deaf,  dumb, 
and  lame  on  the  earth  now,  what  will  restoration  blessings 
do  for  them?  ^  oGO. 

What  effect  may  the  beginning  of  restoration  be  expected 
to  have  on  those  who  observe  it?  ^  561. 

For  what  is  the  whole  creation  waiting  while  it  groans 
in  pain?  Give  the  Scriptural  reason.  ^  502. 

For  what  do  these  hope  and  long?  ^  562. 

What  effect  will  the  restoration  blessings  have  on  those 
who  were  crippled  during  the  war?  If  563. 

Does  the  Lord  indicate  the  kind  of  people  that  will  be 
carried  through  the  time  of  trouble?  Give  Scriptural  proof. 
H  564. 

How  many  people,  approximately,  are  now  living  on  the 
earth?  %  565. 

How  soon  may  we  expect  the  present  evil  order  to  pass 
away?  If  565. 

What  catastrophe  caused  the  first  world  to  end?  1[  566. 

How  many  persons  were  saved  or  carried  over  from 
that  first  world  to  the  new  order?  If  566. 

What  did  Noah  and  his  family  represent?  H  566. 

V/hat  promise  did  God  make  to  Noah  immediately  follow- 
ing the  flood?  Quote  the  promise.  If  566. 

What  assurance  do  we  gather  from  this  divine  promise 
with  reference  to  those  now  living  on  the  earth?  ff  566. 

Why  can  it  now  be  said  that  millions  now  living  will 
never  die?  Tf  566. 

Quote  Jesus'  words  in  John  11 :  26.  If  567. 

AVlien  will  this  opportunity  of  life  come  to  mankind? 
II  567. 

Wliat  will  be  the  results  to  those  then  living  who  believe 
and  obey  the  Lord?  If  56f. 

What  is  meant  by  believing?  Tf  567. 

Quote  the  words  of  Jesus  in  John  8 :  51.  ^  567. 

Do  the  Scriptures  show  that  all  men  must  hear  and  gain 
a  knowledge  of  the  truth  ?  If  567. 

Is  it  possible  for  any  one  to  keep  the  sayings  of  Jesus 
before  he  knows  them?  If  567. 

What  is  the  condition  of  the  majority  of  mankind?  ^  568. 

What  promise  has  God  made  that  will  be  beneficial  to 
those  now  unrighteous?  ^  568. 


370 


The  Harp  of  God 


Shall  the  unrighteous  ones  in  the  earth  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  live?  Give  the  Scriptural  proof.  ^  568. 

What  picture  does  Job  give  with  reference  to  restoration 
in  his  prophecy,  chapter  33,  verses  16  to  25?  1[  569. 

Quote  these  verses  of  Scripture  and  explain  them.  If  570. 

Do  the  Scriptures  indicate  that  some  will  refuse  to  obey 
the  righteous  rule  of  the  Lord?  If  571. 

What  will  be  the  punishment  of  those  who  disobey?  If  571. 

How  long  will  the  Lord  permit  them  to  have  a  trial?  ^  571. 

When  the  Lord  speaks  of  dividing  the  people  as  a  shep- 
herd divides  his  goats  and  sheep,  what  is  meant?  ^  572. 

What  class  do  the  goats  represent?  ^  572. 

What  class  is  pictured  by  the  sheep?  Tf  572. 

What  is  meant  by  everlasting  punishment?  If  573. 

What  is  meant  by  everlasting  life?  ^  573. 

Does  the  apostle  define  everlasting  punishment?  If  so, 
how?  If  574. 

Who  is  guaranteed  a  full  opportunity  for  life?  ?  575. 
What  is  meant  by  a  gift?  If  575. 

What  things  are  necessary  to  make  a  gift  effective?  If  575. 

Quote  the  apostle's  words  in  1  Timothy  2 :  3, 4.  ^  575. 

What  is  meant  in  this  passage  by  being  saved?  and  what 
is  meant  by  being  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth? 
If  575. 

Quote  two  scriptures  showing  that  life  is  a  gift,  t  575. 
To  whom  is  this  free  gift  offered?  Tf  576. 
Quote  1  John  2:2.  %  576. 

What  is  meant  by  the  word  "our",  and  also  by  the  word 
"world"?  If  .576. 

Vv'hat  does  this  scripture  prove  with  reference  to  the 
ransom  sacrifice  and  its  benefits  to  mankind?  If  576. 

Yvhat  message  was  delivered  by  the  angel  to  the  shep- 
herds at  Jesus'  birth?  Tf  576. 

Does  this  guarantee  that  anything  shall  be  given  to  all 
the  people?  and  if  so,  what?  If  576. 

What  does  the  promise  made  to  Abraham  prove  as  to  an 
opportunity  for  life  everlasting?  and  to  whom  will  this  op- 
portunity be  given?  If  576. 

What  did  Jesus  say  about  other  sheep,  indicating  that 
not  all  would  be  saved  in  heaven?  If  577. 

^Yhat  did  he  mean  by  "this  fold"?  If  -577. 

AVhy  will  he  have  another  fold?  If  577. 


Restoration 


3?1 


Quote  Psalm  86 : 9,  and  state  what  proof  this  is  relative 
to  restoration  blessings.  ^  578. 

What  is  meant  by  the  word  "highway"?  Describe  a  high- 
way. ^  579. 

A  highway  is  used  in  the  Scriptures  to  illustrate  what? 
Tf  579. 

Quote  Isaiah  35 : 8.  ^  579. 

What  is  the  way  over  that  highway  called?  H  579. 

The  entire  highway  pictures  what?  U  579. 

Will  the  unclean  go  up  on  the  highway?  and  will  they 
pass  over  it?  H  579. 

If  one  upon  the  highway  refuses  to  do  right,  what  will  be 
the  result?  If  579. 

What  favor  will  be  granted  to  those  who  strive  to  be 
obedient  while  on  the  highway?  1[  579. 

Shall  any  wicked  influence  be  brought  to  bear  against 
one  on  the  higliway?  Give  the  Scriptural  reason  for  the 
answer.  T[  579. 

How  will  that  way  compare  with  the  narrow  way  that 
is  journeyed  by  the  church?  %  579. 

Why  should  we  expect  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  to  be 
among  the  first  ones  resurrected  under  the  new  covenant? 
If  580. 

When  should  we  expect  them  back  on  the  earth?  If  580. 

Wliat  will  be  tlieir  positions  of  honor  and  responsibility 
in  the  earth?  If  580. 

What  will  be  their  administrative  duties  in  the  earth? 
^  580. 

In  the  kingdom  of  God,  who  exercises  active  rulership? 
Of  the  King,  his  immediate  associates  and  his  earthly  rep- 
resentatives, whom  will  the  peoples  of  earth  see?  If  581. 

Describe  the  picture  of  the  Messianic  kingdom  as  given 
in  Zechariah  14 :  4,  5.  Quote  the  scripture.  ^  582. 

What  is  here  meant  by  the  words  "his  feet"?  What  is 
symbolized  by  the  mountain  and  by  the  olive?  If  582. 

What  is  represented  by  the  cleaving  or  dividing  of  the 
mountain  into  two  parts?  If  582. 

What  is  pictured  by  the  valley  between?  If  582. 

What  will  the  people  do  with  reference  to  this  symbolic 
valley?  If  582. 

Why  should  those  on  earth  get  in  communication  with 
Abraham  and  the  other  faithful  ones  as  soon  as  possible 
after  their  resurrection?  ^  583. 


372 


The  Harp  of  God 


What  period  is  known  as  the  jiidj^ent  day?  What  will 
the  people  learn  during  that  period?  What  will  be  the  ree- 
ompense  of  each?  ^  584. 

When  the  peoples  living  on  earth  begin  to  be  restored  to 
health  and  strength,  of  whom  will  they  then  think?  If  585. 

What  will  they  do  toward  having  their  beloved  dead 
restored  to  them?  ^  585. 

What  Scriptural  proof  have  we  that  the  Lord  will  hear 
their  prayers?  ^  585. 

What  Scriptural  proof  have  we  that  the  dead  will  arise 
from  their  graves?  ^  585. 

Quote  and  analyze  Paul's  argument  concerning  the  resur- 
rection in  1  Corinthians  15 :  16-22.  ^  586. 

In  what  order  will  the  dead  be  resurrected?  that  is,  will 
those  who  have  died  last  or  those  who  have  died  centuries 
ago  be  the  first  to  come  forth?  ^  586. 

Quote  Jeremiah  31 :  16, 17.  H  587. 

What  is  meant  in  this  text  by  the  "land  of  the  enemy"? 
H  587. 

As  the  dead  return  from  the  grave,  what  will  the  living 
do  for  them?  «[  588. 

What  effect  will  the  resurrection  have  in  uniting  fami- 
lies? ^  588. 

Quote  Isaiah  35 : 10.  %  588. 

Who  is  there  meant  by  the  "ransomed  of  the  Lord"?  1[  5S8. 
How  were  the  people  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  destroyed? 
T[  589. 

What  wull  be  their  final  end?  T[  589. 

Quote  a  scripture  showing  that  they  will  return  to  their 
former  estates  as  human  beings  on  the  earth.  If  589. 

In  what  manner  will  the  Messiah  rule?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  ^  589. 

What  will  be  the  beneficent  effects  of  this  righteous  rule, 
both  upon  animals  and  upon  human  beings?  Give  Scriptural 
proof.  H  590. 

Quote  Jeremiah  31 :  34.  If  591. 

When  the  Lord  remembers  their  iniquities  and  sins  no 
more,  what  will  be  the  condition  of  the  people?  If  591. 
Quote  John  1 : 29.  If  591. 

When  the  sin  of  the  world  is  gone,  what  effect  will  that 
have  upon  mankind?  If  591. 
What  Scriptural  proof  have  we  that  the  people  will  be 


Restoration 


373 


bronrrht  to  a  condition  of  healtli  and  be  cured  of  sickness? 
II  502. 

Will  the  peoples  of  the  earth  tlien  have  ailments  and  cora- 
phiints  as  they  do  now?  ^  502. 

AVhat  effect  upon  the  earth  itself  will  the  times  of  resto- 
ration have?  IF  593. 

Will  there  be  room  for  all  the  people  that  are  restored 
to  life?  ^  503. 

How  many  people  have  lived  on  the  earth  and  died  and 
gone  into  their  graves?  %  503. 

How  many  are  now  living?  Tf  503. 

Give  an  illustration  sliowing  tliat  the  earth's  surface  will 
be  ample  to  accommodate  all  of  these.  If  503. 

What  Scriptural  evidence  have  we  that  the  earth  will 
produce  sufiicient  food  to  sustain  the  restored  ones?  %  504. 

What  Scriptural  proof  is  there  that  the  desolate  land  of 
the  eartli  will  become  like  the  garden  of  Eden?  Tf  504, 

When  will  the  earth  be  a  fit  habitation  for  man?  ^  594. 

Is  any  part  of  earth's  surface  being  reclaimed  now  that 
illustrates  the  restoration  of  the  earth?  If  so,  give  an 
instance.  If  504. 

What  will  be  the  effect  when  all  the  desert  land  is  made 
habitable?  If  594. 

In  the  times  of  restoration,  what  will  become  of  the 
weeds,  thistles,  and  thorns,  and  pests  that  destroy  crops? 
^  595. 

What  will  become  of  tlie  poisonous  things  that  produce 
sickness?  %  505. 

How  will  the  reign  of  Christ  affect  man's  enemies?  If  595. 

W^hen  the  people  witness  the  disappearance  of  ignorance, 
crime,  and  superstition,  and  the  establishment  of  goodness, 
loving-kindness,  etc.,  what  effect  will  this  have  upon  them? 
%  596. 

What  scriptures  indicate  that  the  people  will  have  a 
joyful  time  in  the  days  of  restoration?  If  596. 

What  effect  will  the  restoration  have  upon  tears  and 
sorrow?  Tf  50G. 

Describe  John's  vision  upon  the  Isle  of  Patmos  relative 
to  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth.  If  597. 

In  that  picture  what  is  symbolized  by  heaven,  earth,  and 
sea?  If  597. 

What  effect  will  restoration  have  upon  strikes,  revolu- 
tions, and  anarchy?  Tf  597. 


374 


The  Harp  of  God 


How  is  the  meeting  place  between  God  and  man  described 
in  this  prophetic  utterance  of  John?  If  507. 

What  does  John  say  about  the  effect  of  the  kingdom 
blessings  upon  mankind?  ^  597. 

Unless  God  intends  to  give  opportunity  for  man  to  be 
restored,  why  provide  such  an  inti'icate  and  marvelous  plan, 
create  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  bring  the  dead 
out  of  their  graves?  ^  598-601. 

Has  God  invited  us  to  use  our  i-easoning  faculties?  ^  602. 

If  we  believe  the  Bible  testimony,  then  to  what  inevitable 
conclusion  are  we  forced  with  reference  to  restoration? 
%  602. 

What  should  be  the  attitude  of  mind  of  those  who  now 
believe  the  Bible?  1[  602. 

Compare  present  conditions  of  suffering  with  the  condi- 
tions the  Messianic  kingdom  will  bring.  ^  603. 

Will  man  come  to  the  state  where  he  will  no  longer  fear 
sickness?  ?  603. 

What  will  be  the  results  of  Messiah's  reign  as  far  as  wars 
are  concerned?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  H  604. 

How  will  the  Messianic  reign  affect  profiteers?  If  605. 

Wliat  will  become  of  famines  during  the  Messianic  reign? 
IT  606. 

W'liat  will  be  the  effect  of  Messiah's  reign  upon  disease 
and  sickness?  t  607. 

Will  there  be  any  undertakers  and  hearses  used  when 
man  is  restored?  and  if  not,  why  not?  If  608. 

What  will  the  effect  of  Messiah's  reign  be  concerning  the 
union  of  families?  Give  Scriptural  proof.  If  609. 

Will  the  people  have  trouble  with  landlords*  and  diflBculty 
in  finding  a  place  to  live  under  Messiah's  reign?  and  if  not, 
why  not?  Give  the  Scriptural  proof.  Tf  610. 

^Miat  effect  will  the  Messiah's  kingdom  have  upon  lib- 
erty? If  611. 

Under  Messiah's  kingdom  will  there  be  any  espionage 
laws?  If  611. 

Will  there  be  any  secret  service  men  under  Messiah*s 
reign?  If  611. 

What  will  be  the  motive  directing  the  actions  of  men? 
If  611. 

Will  the  people  have  Decoration  Day  services  during  the 
millennial  reign  of  Christ?  If  613. 
Will  they  assemble  to  discuss  politics  and  fight  over  who 


Restoration 


375 


sliall  ho]d  the  offices?  or  what  will  be  the  condition?  Give 
Scriptural  reasons.  ^  613. 

V/hat  is  the  great  enemy  of  the  human  race?  and  how 
long  has  its  sting  been  felt?  If  614. 

Describe  its  effect  upon  human  beings  who  survive.  H  614. 

Vvhat  has  been  the  one  consoling  thing  that  has  cheered 
the  hearts  of  some?  ^  614. 

What  hope  has  the  Christian  concerning  his  beloved  dead? 
^  614. 

Relate  an  experience  showing  why  the  Christian  sorrows 
not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  ^  615. 

V/hat  does  the  power  of  the  ocean  illustrate  to  the  Chris- 
tian? ^  616. 

How  does  this  compare  with  the  One  who  created  the 
moon  and  the  stars  and  the  sun?  %  616. 

How  will  this  power  be  used  in  behalf  of  the  dead?  t  616. 

By  faith  the  Christians  see  what  iti  the  near  future  for 
their  beloved  dead?  and  what  effect  does  this  have  upon  the 
mind  of  such?  ^  617. 

Is  the  restoration  string  of  the  harp  of  God  a  consolation 
to  the  Christian?  and  if  so,  why?  ^  618. 

Why  does  the  Lord  keep  such  in  perfect  peace,  notwith- 
standing the  turmoil  in  the  earth  ?  ^  618. 

What  two  great  doctrines  of  the  divine  plan  were  ob- 
scured for  many  years?  and  by  what  strings  of  the  harp 
are  they  represented?  ^  619.  (See  back  reference.) 

Why  have  these  doctrines  been  obscured?  ^  619. 

If  they  have  been  revived  or  discovered  in  recent  years, 
what  has  been  the  cause?  If  619. 

What  effect  upon  Christians  does  the  knowledge  of  resti- 
tution have?  H  619. 

What  Psalm  pictures  this  joyful  effect?  IT  619. 

In  what  kind  of  phrase  has  the  plan  of  God  been  stated? 
^  620. 

Who  have  been  able  to  understand  God's  plan?  ^  620. 

What  did  the  psalmist  mean  when  he  said^:  "I  will  in- 
cline mine  ear  to  a  parable;  I  will  open  my  dark  saying 
upon  the  harp"?  H  620. 

W^hat  kind  of  music  does  this  harp  yield  when  under- 
stood? H  620. 

How  does  the  chord  of  restitution  respond  to  the  other 
strings  of  the  harp?  \  620. 


378 


The  Harp  of  God 


How  did  the  psalmist  picture  the  effect  of  Messiah's 
reign  upon  tlie  people?  Quote  the  Ps.^lm.  If  C20. 

V\aiat  will  be  the  condition  of  the  obedient  ones  at  tlie 
end  of  Christ's  millennial  reign?  If  G21. 

How  will  the  harp  of  God  appear  to  them?  If  621. 

How  is  the  consecrated  Christian  pictured  at  this  time 
relative  to  the  kingdoms  and  the  harp  of  God?  Give  Scrip- 
tural reason  for  the  ansvver.  Tf  621. 

To  v/hat  are  these  Christians  looking?  If  621. 

What  is  meant  by  the  Hallelujah  chorus?  If  622. 

By  faith  looking  to  the  end  of  the  millennial  reign,  de- 
scribe the  conditions  that  v/ill  then  prevail.  ^  622. 

What  will  be  the  condition  of  Satan  at  that  time?  If  622. 

What  will  be  the  condition  of  Abraham  and  the  other 
faithful  prophets?  If  622. 

Describe  the  condition  of  the  earth  at  that  period.  "If  622. 

AVhat  will  be  particularly  pleasing  about  men  and  women 
then?  If  622. 

What  will  be  their  ability  to  sing?  If  622. 

What  will  be  the  chief  joy  of  every  creature  at  that  time? 
If  622. 

What  mental  vision  do  the  Scriptures  give  of  the  heaven- 
ly kingdom  at  that  time?  If  623. 

Describe  the  angels,  the  cherubim,  and  seraphim,  and 
their  positions.  If  623. 

What  will  be  the  position  of  the  Christ?  If  623. 

Who  will  be  there  as  the  servants  of  the  Christ?  If  623. 

Who  will  stand  above  all?  If  623. 

AVhen  will  Christ  Jesus  see  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be 
satisfied?  and  why?  If  623. 

What  particular  song  will  be  appropriate  at  that  partic- 
ular time?  If  624. 

Name  the  musical  instruments  represented  in  the  prophet- 
ic picture.  ^  624. 

Describe  the  beginning  of  the  Hallelujah  chorus.  If  624. 

What  will  the  creatures  of  heaven  and  earth  be  doin^ 
then  v/ith  reference  to  Christ  Jesus?  ^  624. 

Repeat  the  Hallelujah  chorus.  624, 


of 

SCRIPTURE  CITATIONS 

USED  IN  THE  FOREGOING  PAGES 
Figures  on  left  side  of  columns  indicate  Bible  chapters  anOL 
verses ;  figures  to  right,  paragraph  numbers. 

GENESIS  49  : 10    547  14 : 13-15    547 

1:1                      10  49:28    304  14:21    85 

1 :  2    14  17  : 13   202 

1 :  20                31,  58  EXODUS  17  : 13,  16    85 

1  :  27,  28                30  3:2    256  19  :  25    247 

2  :  7           31,  55,  1G2  0:3    9  30  :  31    51 

2  :  8,  9,  15              32  7  : 11    151  32  :  8    14 

2  :  16,  17                33  12  :  3-17    188  33  :  16-25    570 

2  :  17                      59  20  :  2-5    9  33  :  19-30    5 17 

2  :  21-25   34  21 :  23-25    205  33  :  25    012 

3  : 15            147,  185,  33  :  20    292  38  :  4-7    37 

219,  470,  547 

3:16-19                 46  LEVITICUS 

4:21                      1  8:12    339  PSALMS 

7  :  21-23                 93  16  :  1-34    194  2  :  9    454 

8  :  21,  22               566  18  :  5    553  0  :  5    03 

12  : 1-3                   94  24  : 17-21    205  14  :  3    75,  160 

12  :  3    539,  547,  16  :  10     19,  83,  2G3 

550,  576  NUMBERS  16  :  10,  11   247 

13  : 15                  547  31 :  28    31,  58  16  : 11    503 

15  :  18    94  17  : 15    248 

17  :  1                        9  DEUTERONOMY  19  :  1-4    8 

17  :  2,  4,  8              95  18  :  15    19,  122  19  :  7    327 

18  ;  1,  2                170  18  :  15,  19    547  21  :  1-6    515 

18  :  1-14                  95  10  :  21    205  22  :  27    547 

18  :  18                   547  26  :  5    204  27  :  4    514 

19:1                    3  70  30:15    547  30:5    547 

21  :  1-3                   96  32  :  4  ....  32,  38,  179  34  :  7  ..  159,  526,  527 

22  :  2                     96  34  :  6    292  34  :  20    19 

22  :  15    256  37  :  9,  10,  20.  22. 

22-:  15-18                98  1    SAMUEL  28,  34,  33  ....  90 

22  : 18           53D,  547  2  :  6    547  37  :  11    547 

•24    455  40  :  7,  8    229 

25  :  11                   105  2   SAMUEL  41  :  1.  2    5r,4 

25:22,  23             107  23:2    13  41:33    104 

25  :  26    105  45  :  10,  11  ..  457,  477 

25  :  27-34              108  1  KINGS  45  :  13,  14    5r".2 

26  :  3,  4                106  2  :  10    OS  45  :  16    550,  530 

26:34                   109  11:4,  9-13    123  45:17    510 

27  : 1,  2                110  19  :  5    256  46  :  10    547 

27  :  29  .„   112  40  :  4    020 

23  :  11-15              115  1  CHRONICLES  49  :  7    206 

28  :  14                   539  28  :  2-7    124  49  : 12    66 

31  :  11                  256  28  :  9    125  50  :  2    503 

35  :  10-12    117  50  :  5    335,  412 

37  :  35                    86  JOB  51  :  5  ■          133,  5GS 

42  :  38                    87  3  :  18    202  67  :  1-7    547 

49  :  9,  10   119  14  :  13    85  67  :  G    606 

377 


378 


Index  of  Texts 


GS:1S    248 

69:8,  9    4S1 

72  :  3,  4,  6,  10  547 

82  :  7    517 

83  :  18   9 

80  :  0    547,  57S 

87  :  5,  6    510 

89:14    39 

89  :  43     59 

CO:  2    10.  1G4 

93  :  2    ni7 

90  :  9-13    620 

90  : 11-13    547 

93  :  4-9    547 

104  :  5    547 

104:29    64 

110: 1,  2    419 

110:2    417 

111  :  10    325 

115  : 16    440 

115  :  17    63 

119  :  105    460 

120:1,  2    619 

132  :  11,  12    123 

132  : 13    503 

133  :  2    839 

145  :  20    82 

140:4    64 

148  :  1,  2    256 

150    624 

PROVERBS 

2:21    547 

11:31    547 

17  :  17    504 

22:  llLeeser  ..  504 

ECCLESIASTES 
1:4..  427,  547,  666 

3  :  19,  20    58 

9:5,  6    65 

9  : 10   65 

CANTICLES 
5:16    506 

ISAIAH 

1  : 18  ..176,  353.  602 
2:2,3    132 

2  :  2-4    547,  557 

2:4    604 

6  : 1-4    497 

9:6,7  132,249,355 

9  :  7    547 

11  :  4,  5    589 

11  :  4-9    547 

11  :  O  S    590 

11:9    605 

14:7    547 

14  :  12-15    42 

19  :  22    547 

25 :  6-8    596 


25  :  G-12    547 

20  :  3    618 

20  :  4    10 

20  :  8,  9    5S4 

28  :  17,  18    517 

20  :  17,  18    547 

32  :  1    550 

33  :  24   547,  502,  007 

34  :  1-4    454 

35  :  1,  2,  7    594 

35  :  4-6    500 

35  :  8    579 

35  :  10           588,  013 

40:23    10 

42  :  1    516 

42  :  6,  7    551 

42  :  8    10 

45  :  12,  18  29,  530 
45  :  1^    427 

49  :  8    330,  551 

51 :  1    516 

51:6    454 

51  :  11    613 

52  :  7,  8    443 

53    201 

53  :  1-3    19 

53:3    19 

53  :  6-11    250 

53  :  8,  9,  11    19 

53 :  12    19,  227 

55:11   „   537 

60  :  8   18 

01  :  2   330 

62  :  2,  5    344 

62  :  3    500 

65  :  20    571 

65  :  21-23    610 

65  :  24    5S5 

65:  25    605 

JEREMIAH 

3:17    547 

19  :  5    89 

23  :  5,  6    129 

24  :  7    547 

31  :  10,  17    587 

31  :  10,  29,  34  ..  547 
31 :  34    591 

32  :  35    89 

32  :  39,  40    547 

33  :  6    592 

83  :  8,  9    54-7 

40:27    547 

50  :  4,  5    647 

EZEKIEL 

1 :  5,  6    10 

4  :  G   ^  39.7 

11  : 19  _   547 

16  :  55    589 

16  :  55,  61-63  ....  547 
18  :  2;  31,  32  547 


18:4    59 

18  :  27,  28    568 

21  :  24-27    429 

21:25-27  ..127,  356 

21 :  27    507 

28  :  13   _   36 

28  :  14,  15    36 

23  : 14-18    43 

28:26    547 

34  :  25-28    547 

30  :  20.  27,  29,  30. 

35    547 

30  :  34,  35    504 

37:24    547 

39:29    547 

DANIEL 
2  :  44    358,  433,  4G5, 

 -   547 

7  :  7,  8    396 

7  :  14,  27  ....4G5,  507 

7:27    547 

9  :  26   19 

11  :  40,  41    394 

12  : 1  ........  419.  452 

12  :  2    09 

12  :  3    502,  622 

12:4  ..  18,401,402 

12  :  5-7    397 

12  :  8-10    304 

12:9   _   401 

12  :  12    398 

HOSEA 

2  :  18.  21    547 

3:5    547 

13:14  197,229,541, 
  547 

JOEL 
2:22,  32    547 

AMOS 

3:2    2 

9  ;  11,  12    647 

OBADIAH 
Verse  21   547 

JONAH 
4    547 

MICAH 

4:1-4    557 

4  :  1-5,  8    547 

4  :  3   604 

4:4    610 

5  :  2  ....  19,  137,  145 

NAIIUM 
1 : 15  547 


Index  of  Texts 


379 


2  •  1-6     406  22  : 14    474  21  :  12,  13    434 

2  :  3-6    547  23  :  2    219  21 :  24    281,  4S9 

23  :  13-S3    219  21  :  25-27    450 

HABAKKUK  23:33,39    418  21:28    439 

2:14    547  24:3    372,427  22:29    405 

24  :  7,  8  ....  417,  419,  22  :  29.  ST    507 

ZEPHANIAH    432  22  :  SO    359 

2  •  11  ....  547  24 :  9    434  22 :  06-71    223 

3i9,  ]3"Z   547  24:10    423  23:1,2    2!:4 

24  :  14    438  23  :  4.  5    225 

HAGOAI  24:21,22  ..452,558  23:22-24    225 

2:7    453,547  24:25.20    384  24:1-10    2G0 

24  :  27    384  24  :  C.  7    251 

ZECI-IArtlAH  24  :  2S    425  24  :  13-21    2S2 

0  .  11    547  24  :  36    388  24  :  21    245,  309 

3  :  1-7  V.V..V.   253  24  :  37-39  ..  373,  426  24  :  34   2.-1 

3  :  10    547  24  :  42    388,  442  24  :  39    2ni 

8:3,8,12,15,21,  24:43    383  24:50,51    289 

22    547  25  :  1-13    400 

9:9    19  25:14    361  JOHN 

9:10,17    547  25:31,32    3C1  1:1    28 

11  :  12   „          19  25  :  31-46    550  1 :  1-3    103 

14  •  4.  5    582  25  :  41-48    572  1  :  14    213,  214 

14  :  9,  11.  20  ....  547  20  :  57    222  1 :  29  ..  189,  226,  547 

14  : 16, 17    133  20  :  59,  60    223  3  :  4-S    369 

26  :  02,  63    223  3  :  16    67 

MALACm  27  :  5T    252  3  :  16,  17    217 

1  : 11    547  27  :  57-61    261  3  :  29    455 

3  :  3    422  27  :  62  64    202  3 :  35    106 

3  :  6    100,  197  27  :  05,  06    262  4  : 14    511 

3  : 11    547  28  : 1-10   265  4  :  35.  36   411 

3  :  17    500  28  :  5-8    254  5  :  22,  23,  26  166 

4  :  2    385,  547  28  :  0,  10    280  5  :  26    275.  511 

28  :  11-15    266  5  :  28,  29  ....  69,  207, 

MATTHEW  28  :  16-20    286    585 

1:18    101  28:18    359,388  6:35    165 

1  : 18-24    149  6  :  37    330,  332 

1  :  20,  23    101  MARK  6  :  33    165 

1:21     540  10:43,44    210  6:44    32G 

2  :  1,  2   _          152  13  :  9   „        434  6  :  4S.  50,  55,  57  230 

2  :  4-6     145  13  :  37    442  6  :  53.  54    512 

2  :  5,  G    137  16  : 1-7   „         268  8  :  17,  18    1G6 

2:  13    156  8  :  42    165 

2:10     156  T.UKE  8:43,44    219 

3  : 16, 17   339  1  :  30,  31    145  8  :  44  ....  44,  60, 153, 

6 :  21    435  1  :  30,  35    130    218,  470 

6 : 10    359  1 :  31    256  8  :  51    567 

11 :  9, 11    547  1  :  35    161  8  :  58    165 

11  : 12    491  1 :  46-52    131  IjO  :  10    229,  540 

11:28    327  1:70    13  10:16    577 

13:10,11    299  2:8-18    157  10:29.30    167 

13  :  24-30  ..  391,  413  2  :  9-11   142,  173,  11  :  26    567 

13  :  37-39    392    256,  540  11  :  47-51,  53  ....  221 

13  :  43  344,  385,  502  2  :  10    576  12  :  27,  28    168 

16  :  24    329  2  :  40,  52    173  12  :  31   „   360 

17  :  22,  23    251  3  :  21-23    173  14  :  1-3    362 

18  :  10    256,  526  3  :  31-34    122  14  :  2,  3  ....  458,  503 

19  :  28    548  4  : 1-13    471  14  :  6    328 

19  :  30    586  4  :  1-14    173  14  : 16-19    456 

20  :  28         216,  540  12  :  32    400  14  : 19    307 

21 : 1-11    251  14  :  28    32S  14  :  28    169 

21 : 1-13   _  418  19  : 12-15    361  15  : 13  348 


380 


Index  of  Texts 


15  :  20    437 

Id  :  13    299 

16:28    1G5 

17  :  5            1G3,  1G5 

17  :  17    342 

17  :  20-22    1G7 

17:24    5C5 

IS  :  33,  36    3G0 

19  :  12  „  _   225 

20  :  1-8    270 

20  :  9    245 

20  :  11-18    279 

20  :  17    363 

20  :  10-25    283 

20  :  10-26    290 

20  :  26-29    284 

20  :  27-29    200 

21  :  1-13    235 

ACTS 

1  :  6-9    289,  809 

1  :  7,  8    ZPQ 

1  :  9-11    363 

2  :  1-4    300 

2  :  27-31  ....  247,  202 
2:36    274,275 

3  :  19    326 

3  :  10  21    364 

3:20-24    545 

3  :  22    122,  304 

3:23    571 

4:32    176 

7  :  59    274 

9  :  1-19    202 

10    474 

13  :  35  37    247 

15  :  14-18    547 

15  :  IS    11 

17  :  27    326 

17  :  31           297,  543, 

  549,  5S5 

24  :  15    585 

ROMANS 
2  :  6,  7    496 

2  :  7    01 

3  :  10    325 

5  :  1    332 

5  :  3-5    493 

5:9    332 

5  :  12      82, 160, 183, 

  325,  6^5 

5:18    575 

6:3,4    338 

C:  23  ..  81,  231,  539, 

  575,  612 

S  :  3    236,  553 

8  :  16, 17  ..  340,  463, 

  494 

8:17    506 

8:  18    493 

8  :  10-22  ....  346,  350, 


  526 

8  :  29    341,  473 

8  :  33    331,  332 

9  :  23.  24    499 

12:2    337 

15:3    481 

1  CORINTHIANS 

1  :  7    364 

1  :  21-25    475 

1  :  20-29    476 

2  :  9,  10    3.S9 

2  :  14    251,  320 

3:  16,  17    416 

4  :  5    453 

6:2    550 

10  :  1-13    2 

10  :  11    409 

10  :  20    89,  151 

12  :  ]2,  27    314 

15:3   „   235 

15:3  8    271 

3  5:6    68,  2S7 

15  :  7    288 

15:8    202 

15  :  12-26    206 

15:1 6-22    5S6 

1 5  :  20-26    543 

15:21,47    174 

15:22.23    609 

15  :  23    364,  374 

15  :  25,  26    595 

15  :  38    560 

15  :  41-44   517 

15:45    368 

15  :  47    162,  536 

15  :  49    437 

15:50,51    291 

15  :  51,  52    409 

15:53    ol 

15  :  54,  55    518 

2  CORINTHIANS 

1 :  7    491 

1 :  20-22  Weymouth 

  542 

3:17    3^9 

4  :  3,  4  300,  370, 431 
4:4    60 

4  :  17,  18    495 

5  :  16    308 

6:17    336,  408 

5  :  21    235 

0  :  16    415 

8;  9  ..  165,  174,  213, 

  5-10 

10:3,4    435 

11 :  2   455 

GALATIANS 

1  :  4   235,  428 

3  :  8   576 


3:8,16   104 

3  :  8,  16,  27,  29  544 

3  :  16   315 

3  :  16,  27,  29    550 

3  :  19,  24   195 

3  :  22   107 

3  :  24   533 

3  :  26,  27,  29   315 

4  :  3.  4   211 

4  :  22-28   103 

4  :  25-29   470 

EPHESIANS 

1:4  9   472 

2  :  6,  7   509 

2:18-22   415 

3:7-11   345 

4  :  8   248 

4  :  12   341 

4  :  16   529 

PHILIPPIANS 

1 :  29    52,  485 

2:  6,  7   165 

2:7   213 

2:7-11   510 

2:8   174 

2:8-11   276 

2  :  9   369 

2:9-11   471 

2  :  10,  11   613 

3  :  14   333 

3  :  20   364 

COLOSSIANS 

1 :  9   337 

1  :  12   341 

1  :  13   „  359 

1  :  15-17   164 

1  :  17-19   313 

1  :  18  ....  52,  295,  468 

1  :  24,  27    312 

1  :  20,  27    544 

3  :  3   337 

3:3,4   513 

3  :  4   344 

3  : 14   529 

1  THESSALONIANS 

2  :  19    364,  375 

3:13    376 

4:  13,  14    68 

4  :  13, 14,  17  ....  615 
4  :  15    377 

4  :  15-17    461 

4:16,17    498 

5  :  1    443 

5  :  1-4    389 

5  :  2    383 

5  :  5,  G    389 

5:23    378 


Index  of  Texts 


381 


2  THESSALONIANS 

1 :  7,  8   454 

1 :  9    82,  574 

2:1    379 

2  :7    323 

2:8    3C4 

1  TIMOTHY 
2  :  3,  4  Diaglott 

  229,  575 

2  :  3-C    243 

2  :  5,  6           174.  230, 

..  354,  541,  567 

2:14    41,45 

0:15,16    367 

6:16    61 

2  TIMOTHY 

2  : 13    82 

3:  16    14 

4:1    558 

4  :  0-8    364 

4:8    4G0 

HEBREWS 
1  : 1,  2    165 

1  :  2   24S,  506 

1:3..  368,  497,  506 

1:3,4    275 

1:14    526 

2:9  ....  174,  230,  541 

2  : 10, 11    492 

2:11  Wey   342 

2  :  14  ..  43,  149,  174, 

  258,  022 

2  : 14,  15    213 

3  : 1    333 

3:6    416 

3:13    332 

4  :  14-16    293 

5  :  8    409 

5:8,9    471 

6  :  17, 18    539 

6  :  18    40,  100 

7:26    175,213 

8  :  5    553 

8  :  6    553 

8  :  8-12    554 

9:14    175 

9:15    553 

9:22,23    237 

9:24..  234,237,293 
10  :  1  ....  2,  195,  553 

10  :  7-10    229 

11    556 


11:1-6    326 

11  :  6    6 

11  :  9,  39    86 

12  :  2    311 

12:2-11    404 

12  :  9,  10    70 

12  :  l.S-21    520 

12  :  18-28    453 

12  :  22  24    521 

JAMES 

1:12    512 

1  :  17    197 

1 :  18    335 

5  :  7    380 

5  :  7,  S    304 

5  :  8    3S1 

5:10    490 

1  PETER 

1:2    316 

1:3,4    01 

1  :  3-5    335 

1  :  10,  12    21 

1  :  11    308 

1  :  19    175 

2  :  2    4'-3 

2  :  3-8    484 

2:5    410 

2  :  5-7    317 

2  :  9    408 

2  :  9.  10   52,  318,  404 

2  :  21    319,  471 

3  :  18    275,  308 

3  :  20    93,  428 

4  :  5    558 

4  :  1 2-14, 16    492 

4:17    422 

2  PETER 

1 :  4  ....  61,  319,  334, 

  468,  512 

1 :  5-7    486 

1 : 11    359 

1  :  16    364 

1  :  21    13 

3:3,4    426 

3:4    68,382 

3:6    428 

3  :  10    383 

3:10,12    440 

3:13    370 

1  JOHN 
1 : 1-4    272 


1:5    38,78 

2  :  2    576 

3:2..  291,  368,  500, 

  528 

3  :  3    342 

3:4    231 

3:5    175 

4:10    78 

5:2,3    489 

5  :  19    337,  431 

JUDE 

9    292 

14,15    517 

24    530 

REVELATION 

1 :  18    294 

2  :  10  ..  61,  319,  335, 

  512 

2  :  26    508 

2  :  27    454 

3  :  3    383 

3  :  12    501 

3  :  14    105 

3  :  21  ..  369,  405,  497 

5  :  11,  12    258 

5:13    624 

7  :  4    313,  408 

11 :  17,  18    417,  419, 

  431 

12:9    43 

13  :  8    189 

14  :  1    460 

14  :  2,  3    5 

14  : 15,  16    440 

15:2,3    5,534 

15:2-4    444 

15  :  3    52 

15  :  3,  4    021 

10  :  15    383 

17  :  5    523 

19  :  0,  7    531 

19  :  8    532 

20  :  1-3           454,  C22 

20  :  1-4    579 

20  :  0  ..  403,  499,  549 

20:7-10    022 

21:1    004 

21  :  1-5  370,  534,  597 
21  :  4  ..  007,  608,  012 
21  :  9    455 

21  :  24-27    Oil 

22  :  10    ,?■) 

22  :  20    305 


f  PWH  TO  you 

IM  SATISFACTION 
IN  GENUINE  pleasure;' 
IN  HAPPINESS  AND  SHEEK  OOY 


to  Know  ihe  solution  to  these  three  aoa-old  riddles'^ 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  HELL? 
WHERE  ARE  THE  DEAD  ? 
WILL  JESUS  COM£ 
TO  EARTH  AGAIN  ? 


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answering  one  of  the  questions, 

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Date  Due 

MCU/  TV 

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